An Unbreakable Bond Suffers
by Chickie.Babe1
Summary: 5th in the Series - Alicia Evans is Alicia Potter, but hardly anyone believes this. After the last four years, she hardly expects to have a quiet Fifth year at Hogwarts. With Voldemort's return and Dolores Umbridge being the new Defence Against the Dark Art's teacher, she's proven correct. Only this time, she has more to deal with than just her mysterious connection to Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**Finally finished number five. I'll admit, took me a while. Sorry about that.**

* * *

Chapter 1:

One week. It'd been one week and already the tension was building. Papers scattered the desk, nasty hits hidden within the paragraphs standing out of the page. Bits had been cut out and scrunched up, pieces of information being sort within the pages.

Alicia was pacing across her room. She continued to glance at the papers on her desk. Memories plagued her mind as images continued to flash across it. Vivid images, flashing lights and pain, lots of pain, both physical and mental.

Alicia was waiting. Waiting for news, anything that said the end would be coming, anything that said darkness was making it's move. Anything that said Voldemort was on the move.

But there was nothing. Nothing other than the Daily Prophet stabbing at Harry Potter, making him look like he was an attention seeking loony. And it had only been a week. Surprisingly though, there had been nothing about her, though, maybe it wasn't surprising. If Fudge was going to use his position as Minister of Magic to keep Voldemort's return quiet, maybe he'd use it to keep the fact Alicia Potter actually survived a secret as well.

Alicia flopped down onto her bed. Her friends had noticed her edginess, she watched the news every night, collected the paper every morning, not to mention the daily prophet she had delivered to her window. And yet nothing had happened.

Alicia knew Dumbledore had set his plans in motion to counter act this as best he could, she assumed Hagrid had been sent to the giants, probably being in less danger and less of a threat. Dumbledore couldn't do anything about the dementors while the ministry was against him but that didn't mean he'd sit back and wait. Dumbledore would be recruiting people, after all he sent Sirius off to fetch the 'old crowd'. Alicia knew better than anything there was a group of people gathering somewhere to do something. She wasn't stupid enough to be left behind. She also seemed to be the only one waiting for a notice that she'd be taken down to help. She believed her ability to process information and piece it together could be somewhat useful, if they'd let her help.

She already knew that Voldemort had plans to recruit giants, gain the dementors' trust, break his supporters from Azkaban. He would not sit down doing nothing. However, he had kept his uprising a secret perhaps he'd rather use that to his advantage. If that was the case he wouldn't be drawing any attention to himself.

Alicia slumped. If that was the case there wouldn't be any hints at all, even within the muggle news. In order to find any news, she'd have to be within the wizard world for that, or connected to people with more insight. Like with Sirius, Lupin, the Weasleys and Dumbledore, wherever they were they'd know what was happening. They'd be doing something to stop it.

"They better not leave me out of it." Alicia grumbled as she stared at her celling.

She paused as she made a decision.

Alicia quickly sat at her desk and found a few pieces of parchment, moving away the newspapers and letters she'd received. She grabbed her quill and ink and stopped to think. What she wrote had to be taken serious, get her message across and be direct.

 _I know you are organising and preparing to fight back. I know you've gathered a group of people together. I know you're working to recruit the giants before Voldemort and that that's where Hagrid's gone, hopefully with Madam Maxime. I know Voldemort's lying low in order to keep the ministry from knowing of his return, or at least I'm guessing that's what it is. And I know you'll have the Weasley's helping out as well as Sirius,_

Alicia paused, Sirius probably couldn't do very much, even if he was an animagus, after all Wormtail probably would have spilled that information to Voldemort.

 _Even if he can't do very much because his cover as a black dog has been blown by Wormtail, I'm assuming, Lupin will know and all the other names you listed at the end of the year._

 _I know you're not going to sit around doing nothing for the summer and I hope you are not planning on leaving me in the dark, even if it has only been a week. I don't want to but I will find out for myself if I do not hear of anything from anyone. I cannot sit here in silence. I do not need time to get over what happened, I do not need to sit within my own thoughts, that's exactly what I don't need. And Harry is the same. And I know Harry has protection at home, Voldemort had said you put every means of protection for him there, and that is probably why you wanted him home again._

Maybe Dumbledore had done the same to Alicia…?

Alicia put her quill down and reread the letter. She bit her lip before retaking her quill in hand.

 _You know me. And you know I'm not kidding about this. Don't sit me on the sidelines._

Alicia quickly put her quill down, and blew softly on the parchment to dry the ink. As soon as that was done she folded it up and walked over to the owl cage in the corner. Inside was a black owl with green eyes and a few white spots down it's back, the eyes matched Alicia's perfectly and she clicked her beak when Alicia approached her.

"I need you to take this." Alicia scribbled a name down on the front. "Take it straight to Dumbledore and make sure you get a reply of some sort." she ordered. The owl clicked it's beak, nibbled on her finger affectionately and then soared out through the window Alicia had opened for her.

"He better take me seriously, one week and no word at all does not seem natural." Alicia grumbled as she began to pace again. She understood that maybe Dumbledore didn't want letters intercepted and that he was busy, but he probably had made contact with Lupin, and Sirius and the Weasleys, why couldn't he contact her as well?

Alicia groaned and slumped onto the floor. At that moment the door opened. Alicia turned her head to see two girls standing there, upside down, in the doorway. Alicia lay wide-eyed at them as their eyes glanced at the odd things sitting around her room; a broomstick, several parchments, books with pictures of odd creatures, potion ingredients and a cauldron, her wand sitting on her bedside table with a picture Harry had decided to give her. He had a photo album full of pictures of their parents, in which Alicia now had one of, involving their Godfather Sirius as well. The problem was, the picture moved like a video in a frame. Alicia hit her forehead

"H-Hey…" Portia muttered "We heard you… groan…?"

"What on earth…?" Alex questioned

"You're supposed to knock." Alicia grumbled slumping on the ground.

"What is all this?" Portia questioned

"School stuff." Alicia said in an audible whisper

"What kind of school…" Alex had moved over to the desk and had picked up a vile of armadillo oil which needed replenishing.

"Uh… I'm sorry, but, is this picture… moving?" Portia was leaning down looking at the frame.

"The headline just changed!" Alex had picked up one of the Daily Prophet papers. Both girls stared wide-eyed at one another before turning to Alicia who'd buried her face in her hands and hadn't moved. She'd been so wrapped up in her own thoughts she'd practically forgotten that other people lived in the building. This was kind of hard seeing as she lived in an orphanage and there were screaming children running around everywhere.

"Alicia!" Both girls called when she said nothing. Alicia only groaned, turned over and crawled towards her door before closing it and leaning against it.

"What the hell is all this stuff?" Alex demanded

"It's school stuff!"

"That answers nothing." Portia confessed

"I'm not allowed to tell you." Alicia said crossing her arms

"You've been saying that for four years." Portia rolled her eyes

"Because it's true! You're not allowed to know."

"Why not?" Alex was getting frustrated now, her eyebrows screwed up in the middle.

"Because you're not a part of that world." Alicia burst and the girls shared a confused look

"'World'? What do you live in a parallel dimension or something?" Alex asked

"Or something." Alicia muttered. She stood up and took the paper from Alex's hand. "If I tell you I will probably get in trouble."

"From who?" Portia asked and Alicia just sighed and picked up the other papers and potion ingredients, moving them to her trunk that stood open against the wall. She closed the trunk on them and placed the frame picture down on her table.

"What is that?" Alex pointed at the wand on the bedside table.

"A stick." Alicia said simply as she sat down on her bed

"No way, it's too clean and polished and… engraved." Alex disagreed looking at it. She leaned forwards.

"Don't touch it please." Alicia said

"Thought it was just a stick?" Portia asked

"Doesn't mean I want you touching it." The two girls raised an eyebrow at one another.

"You can't keep lying to us Alicia."

"I don't have a choice." she admitted

"There's always a choice."

"Well this is sort of a law so…"

"A law that keeps your life a secret?" Alex asked

"A secret from those who aren't like us." Alicia said simply

"What are you an alien now?" Portia questioned

"No."

"Then what do you mean 'not like us'?" Alex questioned and Alicia groaned, slumping on her bed. At that point Noel soared through the window and to her cage, landing neatly inside it. She hooted at the three girl and Alicia sat up, she walked over to the bird and noticed her letter was gone, but there was not one in place of it. Noel had no reply.

"You've got to be kidding me." she ground her teeth angrily but grabbed a treat for the animal and handed it to her, Noel nipped Alicia's finger greatly before she drank some water to wash down the treat.

"Does it have anything to do with an owl flying during the day?" Alex questioned "Or the fact that you have an owl at all?"

"And a broom?" Portia added.

"You know what it looks like Portia?" Alex began turning to her friend who looked at her questionably "Like she's obsessed with witches." Alicia froze with her back to the two.

"Alicia's never been into that stuff." Portia waved the thought away

"What are you talking about? She used to love those kinds of books." Alex shrugged

"I'm not obsessed with witches." Alicia assured. She just happened to be one and be fascinated by the books they wrote.

"You own a broom and an owl," Portia said as Alex went to the trunk. She tried to open it but it refused to give.

"What's with this thing?" Alex complained as she made sure all the locks were undone.

"I suggest you give up, it's useless." Dumbledore had given Alicia the trunk with a special spell on it that only allowed Alicia to open it. She still hadn't figured out which spell it was but she didn't mind, if kept the older boys who enjoyed tormenting her out of her things.

"What do you mean? It has to be able to open or it's useless." Alex was still yanking on the lid.

"Mhmm, keep trying then." Alicia had moved to her desk and had sat back down at it, grabbing three more pieces of parchment and staring at the wall before her thinking.

"What are you doing?" Portia asked as Alex continued to struggle.

"Writing a few letters." Alicia answered simply

"What's wrong with normal paper?" Portia questioned looking at the parchment, "Or email?"

"They don't have email." Well Hermione might do but it'd be her parents'. "And if they do I don't know them."

"Call them?"

"One doesn't know how to use one… properly." Ron had tried calling Harry two years ago at the Dursleys, he'd shouted down the phone and it went terribly wrong for Harry afterwards.

"What — do you mean? It's like — one of the — basic — necessities — of — life!" Alex said she she continued with her current mission of opening the trunk. "What is with this thing!" she kicked it angrily before continuing. Portia rolled her eyes.

"They're not like everyone else. They don't need phones."

"How do they communicate?" Portia questioned

"Can't you both just accept the fact that I can't tell you?" Alicia sighed "And Alex will you stop. It wont open for you." she turned to face the girl who was trying to get her fingers between the lid and the rest of the trunk.

"What do you mean 'for me'?" Alex asked absentmindedly, not giving up. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Look, you're gone every year all year other than the summer, we hardly see you, you don't write all that much anymore, we hardly seem to know you and even during summer you spend all your time with Harry. You started at that school and suddenly you're a completely different person." Portia explained "Can you blame us for trying to keep our friend?"

"You haven't lost me."

"You're so distant now I don't even know whether to believe that or not." Portia said harshly. Alicia sighed and looked away from the two. Alex had stopped and was watching them. She was usually the one who snapped, Portia seemed the more level headed one.

"Don't you think after sticking by you for so long, we of all people, deserve some sort of explanation?" Portia asked

Alicia only frowned and twiddled her thumbs. She then turned up to Portia beside her.

"Look, there are two different kinds of people in this world. One hidden society living amongst the rest who refuse to have their presence known. There's a government within the government, and so forth. It's family orientated and only certain families learn about it or are born into it. This probably sounds absolutely stupid and maddening to you but that's the simplest way to put it. And as you're not a part of it you're not allowed to know."

"And you're a part of this other kind of person?" Portia asked disbelievingly

"So you are an alien?" Alex said looking angry

"No!" Alicia said again "I'm not an alien. I'm human thanks."

"But Ms Bane knows about it."

"She's my caretaker, how else am I going to be able to attend a school of people like me?" Alicia demanded

"And we're you're family!" Alex snapped standing up straight from the trunk, walking over it and over to the other two. "We've known you your whole life, grown up together, played together, lived together. You said family's allowed, why not us?" Alex questioned "You own a fricken broom, an owl, moving pictures, strange books, newspapers where the headline changes! And you're saying you belong to a secret society of people the world doesn't know about!"

"You can't not tell us!" Alex snapped.

The three stared at one another before there was a knock on the door. Alicia knew who it was before it opened and Harry stood there. He saw the three and looked confused.

"Should I come back later?" he asked slowly.

"And you!" Alex snapped making him look surprised "You're no better! You're in on all of this! I could almost blame you for it all! Ever since she met you this had been happening!" Harry had his hands up in surrender as he looked at Alicia who had her arms crossed and was glaring at her shoes.

"What?" Harry asked. Portia walked forwards pulled Harry into the room and closed the door

"You two are hiding something!" she said simply. "Not only has Alicia locked herself in her room more than usual the past few days but this is the first time I've seen you here since. Which isn't normal given the last three summers. Now," she placed her hands on her hips and looked at Harry

"What is going on with you both? What are you both hiding?!"

Harry looked at Alicia who gave him the 'yeah, this is what I'm dealing with' look.

"Don't communicate with just a look!" Alex said and both looked at her. "Yeah I saw that. You two do it all the time."

"What? We just work." Alicia defended

"That's cause you're so alike." the two girls chorused

"Which I'm sure has to do with everything else going on!" Alex said frustratedly.

Harry turned to Alicia.

"You could tell them that one fact." he shrugged

"Are you kidding!" Alicia whispered "That'd require like… every piece of information to explain! I could get in serious trouble! I could get expelled!" she said

"How are they going to find out?"

"Seriously?" Alicia asked annoyed. She wouldn't be surprised if both the Ministry and Dumbledore had people tailing them, the Ministry to keep them quite and wait for them to slip even a little bit and Dumbledore to keep them safe.

"What are you two mumbling about?" Portia questioned

"I'll tell them." Harry shrugged

"Dude!" Alicia said shocked "You'll get into more trouble than me!"

"Has there been any news on you?" Harry asked and Alicia pursed her lips, true it seemed the Ministry was trying not to bring any attention to her, even in the _Daily Prophet_. Alicia looked from Harry to the two girls staring at her confused, their eyes darting to Harry ever few seconds.

"You just gonna stare or fill us in on you're secret conversation?" Portia asked annoyed

Alicia sighed.

"Well… Harry, kinda happens…" she paused "To be my…"

"Alicia's my sister." Harry put out with a roll of his eyes. Portia and Alex looked at them both dumbfounded. "And the two of us went through something not very pleasant recently." Harry confessed, the emotion draining from his face.

Alicia appreciated the fact that Harry managed to put his grief and anguish aside to deal with this for her. She knew he was, inside, no better off than she was.

The girls looked at them pitifully.

"Oh now look what you've done." Alicia grumbled pointing to them "Pity." she spat the word.

"You two are siblings?" Alex asked pointing

"Twins." Alicia nodded

"Explains why they look so alike…" Portia muttered to Alex

"Hang on though, but Harry has a family?" Alex remembered

"I'd rather live here." Alicia assured

"Me too." Harry grumbled

"We were separated for our own protection." Alicia shrugged "We found out after our first year at school."

"So why are you still here?" Portia asked her

"Didn't you hear me? I'd rather live here." Alicia said "I've told you what the Dursleys are like. Besides, they… don't really know about me." she looked at Harry

"I tried to ask, but so far, they change the topic when you're mentioned." he admitted

"Well… they know now." Alicia muttered

"Why didn't they know about you?" Portia questioned

"They thought I died." Alicia shrugged and the girls looked at them shocked.

"Not the first people." Harry mumbled, clearly wishing he'd been a secret like her. Alicia nudged him.

"What do you mean?" Alex wondered

"It's a long story." Alicia waved it away.

"To do with everything else?" Portia asked, her arms crossed

"Uh huh." Alicia sighed before standing up. "Look I could do with a walk."

"Oh no." Alex moved to standing in front of the door "That's just you avoiding the problem."

"Yes it is. Because I went through a lot in the last month and I don't need my best friends interrogating me on top of it all." Alicia said strongly and Alex, surprised by Alicia's tone, moved and allowed the girl to leave. Harry followed with a wave.

"You know it's not their fault." Harry mumbled as they walked down the street.

"I know but I can't deal with it. Imagine explaining all this, and about us, and how the world might end." Alicia sighed dramatically as Harry rolled his eyes. Clearly this wasn't helping his mood, which Alicia could now see seeping through the mask he'd plastered. The pain and anguish, the terror, the nightmares, the fear, the suspense of waiting for something to happen.

They slumped in their park, the one they spent the majority of their summers in, Alicia sitting on the cool grass and Harry on one of the swings Dudley and his gang hadn't managed to break yet.

Alicia had seen Dudley once or twice in the last week. He no longer looked like the whale he'd been last summer. Granted the last time Alicia had seen him he'd been choking on a foot long tongue thanks to the Weasley Twins' Ton-Tongue Toffees.

"By the way, what happened to Dudley?" Alicia questioned lazily, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the sun. "That diet didn't really work did it?"

"He found a new hobby." Harry admitted as the swing squeaked when he moved it slightly.

"Other than chasing you?"

"He's too scared of us now." Harry said and Alicia could hear the slight humour.

"What's his hobby then?"

"Boxing."

Alicia groaned. Of all the things.

"He's the inter school champion or something." Harry admitted

"So now he's going to be a boxer and beat people up as a profession as well as on the streets." Aunt Petunia was under the impression her 'diddy-kins' was as angel. Dudley lied to his parents and spent most nights out smoking and beating people. Not having tea at what ever friends house he lied about being at. Alicia had only been home a week and had noticed it all already.

"Are you really worried the ministry will be able to pick up on things like you telling a few muggles?" Harry wondered

"Probably. They'll do anything to get at you, I shouldn't be much different. The only advantage I seem to have is that they seem to want to keep me out of the spotlight. The daily prophet was bound to find out about me from the Hogwarts parents after all."

"If they did it'd probably be on the cover."

"Unless Fudge is keeping it quite." Alicia grumbled "If ever there was a time I wanted Rita skeeter to write. This is a giant scoop, it'd totally be the truth, maybe a few insults or sad saps here and there but…" Alicia muttered

"Maybe she'd even write about Voldemort."

"Sure she'd write about your hallucinations and how it's a lie too, and not because of Fudge." Alicia grumbled.

"Do you think anything will happen?" Harry wondered staring up at the blue sky.

"No." Alicia admitted "I think Voldemort's going to lie low. Get his bearings and plot from the shadows, make sure everything's thought out and going to work to his advantage before he strikes. After all, the fact that the world doesn't know he's back is to his advantage." Alicia sighed "His only disadvantage is that Dumbledore knows, and everyone knows that's who he's most afraid of."

"Then why hasn't he done anything?" Harry asked

"It's only been a week Harry, and we saw Dumbledore that day, he moved straight into action." Alicia reminded him

"Then why haven't we heard anything?"

Alicia stayed silent and frowned. She had her theory, she assumed Dumbledore wanted to give them space, that telling them things will get them worked up and maybe go looking for trouble. Harry was best protected when in Little Whinging, with the Dursley's no matter how bad they were. Dumbledore needed Harry to stay there, did that mean he'd say nothing? That was just cruel.

"Mrs Weasley said she thought Dumbledore would allow us to visit soon." she muttered

"How soon is soon?" Harry asked

"This isn't the first time we've been here for the summer Harry." she said

"This isn't a normal summer Alicia." She had no argument to that.

"We need to act like it is. Keep our noses clean and play it smart." she muttered as her eyes glanced around the park. She had the feeling she was being watched, maybe Dumbledore hadn't left them alone, as Voldemort was after Harry it did seem a stupid thing to do. Did he have someone tailing them after all? It wouldn't surprise her really.

The two spent the rest of the day out before Harry had to return to Privet Drive and Alicia to the Orphanage for dinner. She sat in silence and Portia and Alex shot her a few looks before she retuned to her room after a nice hot shower.

She sat back at her desk before the three still blank pieces of parchment. She retook her quill in hand and loaded it with ink.

 _I have a feeling no one's going to tell me anything, or Harry. I know Dumbledore's up to something and on the move. Swear to me you'll promise me if he contacts you or anything happens! Don't keep me in the dark on this._

She copied this onto the three parchments before adding something to one.

 _Ron, I know Dumbledore's enlisted your parents help and that you'll be heavily involved somehow, even if you know very little cause they wont tell you. Please, don't make me find out what's happening on my own, because we all know how that'll end. I can't stand waiting around for two months._

With that she folded them up and addressed the first to Ron, the next to Hermione and the last to Sirius. She then grabbed another parchment.

 _Do not ignore me. As long as I have Harry I will leave and find someone who can answer me, willingly or not. I still have non-magical ways of transportation._

This last letter she addressed again to Dumbledore. She then walked over to Noel and poked her awake. The owl wasn't particularly happy.

"I need you again." she whispered to the owl as she held up the letters. "I need you to take these to Ron, Hermione and Sirius. The last is for Dumbledore again. Hoot at him a lot for an answer." she smirked slightly as she tied the letters to Noel again. She then gave her bird a treat and the owl left the room again. Alicia wasn't going to give up, no matter how stubborn everyone was, she could be a hell of a lot worse.

Alicia turned back to her desk before the swoosh of more wings sounded and an howl landed in Alicia's windowsill. Alicia moved over to it and removed the letter upon it, her name written in ink on the front of the parchment.

 _Hey Alicia,_

 _How are you doing? I'm hoping you're alright._

 _I know it's only been a week but I wanted to check in and see how you were. Especially after what happened._

 _It seems you were right about the Minister not believing you, the Daily Prophet's said nothing. My mother's a bit skeptical but it's hard to argue with the facts Dumbledore gave us, and with…_

There was a pause and Alicia took a deep breath.

 _Anyway, how have your holidays been so far?_

 _Hope to hear from you soon._

 _Anthony._

Alicia smiled. She had promised the boy she'd write over the summer if possible and was glad that, despite what the ministry was doing, he was still happy to contact her. She didn't think many would be very happy with her or Harry after what the Prophet was doing, covering everything up and snapping at Dumbledore and Harry.

Alicia put the letter down and began to answer it. She sealed it and tied it to the new owl's leg, who stood waiting patiently and then took off when she was finished.

Writing to Anthony felt like a bit of a weird normality she didn't expect, but perhaps it was the cool down she needed as she waited for the replied from her friends, godfather and headmaster. After all, she wasn't going to give in in asking what was going on. No matter what.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Alicia waited, she didn't tell Harry about her demands, she didn't have anymore talks about her life with Alex or Portia and Ms Bane was pestering her more, obviously noticing her change in emotional state.

Finally Noel came back a few days later with replies.

 _Alicia,_

 _Why would you think no one would tell you anything? After all you and Harry should be the first to know really, you're probably in the most danger, as usual._

 _Dad's been rather busy, Dumbledore's been sending quite a few owls here. Bill's transferred himself to a desk to be here with us all to help, Charlie tried but, Dumbledore thinks it's best we have foreign connections so he's still helping from his end._

 _Other than that I'm not sure what else has happened. Mum naturally wont tell us anything, says we're too young. It's only been over a week, don't get too suspicious yet. Though I don't blame you for worrying, mum and dad have been on edge ever since we got home. I've been talking to her about when you and Harry can come, so far, no luck. She said we need to trust Dumbledore and you can both come when he think's it's right. I don't know where they got that from after all you've said about those family members…_

 _I'll keep you posted though, you and Harry deserve to know, after all, you'll probably make more sense of all the information then any of us, though I don't think the ministry's making Dumbledore's job any better information wise._

 _Talk to you soon. Say hi to Harry._

 _Ron._

Alicia was glad Ron had told her as much, she had been right on them all moving to make plans. Naturally she didn't expect details, knowing Mrs Weasley she'd want to be protecting them all, but she knew something else was going on behind the scenes.

She unfolded Hermione's letter next.

 _Dear Alicia,_

 _Why are you already so suspicious? Did something happen that would make us not tell you anything? I'd never keep something that important from you. You and Harry of all people deserve to know what You-Know-Who's doing. After all, we wouldn't know he was back without you both._

 _I don't know very much, Ron's probably got the most insight after all, him and Sirius but what's the luck he'd tell us much? He'd probably want us all safe and out of it. I have been keeping an eye on the daily prophet though, did you see what they're writing about Harry? And how there's no news? I'm guessing Fudge is forcing them all to keep quite. I wonder how long that'll last?_

 _Stay safe and keep me posted, I'm keeping contact with Ron and keeping an eye on the paper. If you can you should try tuning into the WWN and see if anything happens there too, I don't know how possible that'd be for you but it's worth a try._

 _Say hi to Harry for me and I'll write again soon. I promise to always tell you things so don't worry._

 _Love Hermione._

Well this made her feel better, as long as all four of them were clueless, it was better than only her and Harry being clueless. It also meant not too much had happened either, if they were lying Ron wouldn't have said anything about his brothers. There was still time though, Ron would be involved thanks to his parents, so something was bound to change within the letters, she just needed to pick up on it.

Alicia opened Sirius' letter next.

 _I can't tell you much Alicia, you wouldn't understand. Beside's if the letters get intercepted then it'd be a lot of explaining will have to wait until we see you. Rest assured though we are working as hard as we can. You and Harry just need to stay alert and cautious, don't do anything stupid._

 _If no one tells me anything then I promise to._ Alicia thought.

Dumbledore knows what's best, but I can't promise to tell you everything.

I'll figure it out myself then.

Alicia didn't expect anything else useful to be said and so she skimmed it and put it aside, put it towards the trunk for later when she expected to get frustrated and revisited them for some sort of hint.

Still there was no reply from Dumbledore. Alicia expected she'd be able to stand the silence three more times or so before she sent a howler… if she was able to without magic.

She took her quill and wrote replies but left them to be sent later. If someone noticed Noel flying back and forth a lot, the letters were definitely bound to get intercepted. She understood that for that reason Dumbledore might not be answering her, but he had assets, he was bound to know other ways of communicating, even if it's through the apparation of people. He wasn't exactly the kind to be cut off from such things.

She just had to take a deep breath and trust in her friends.

* * *

Alicia immediately noticed the differences in the letters over the next week. They were very much more vague and both Hermione and Ron said similar things. Alicia immediately guessed something had changed, it also sounded like they were together almost… Hermione apologised a lot, having told her virtually nothing only the same words of _'we'll tell you when we see you'_. Naturally that wasn't good enough. Ron was no different.

It turned out Harry was having the same problem. His anger had come out as Alicia had never seen it as he handed her the letters and let her read them. She told him she was no better. This didn't make him feel any better, their friends were after all keeping important information from them and no one seemed to understand or know of a different way of communicating. Hermione knew how to use a cell phone and the chance that Voldemort and his supporters would look for such things sounded stupid as they were all 'pure-bloods' as they put it and probably didn't even know how to use a phone.

Anthony's letters were helping to keep her calm as they talked about normal things, as Anthony was a half-blood and had a muggle parent he knew a few of the things that were happening in the Muggle world, something they were able to talk about. Alicia did confess some of her frustrations when he asked if the girl had heard anything and he had been surprised by her news.

Two and a half weeks hadn't even gone buy before Alicia had fallen on her self promise of the howler. She sent a rather calm one to Sirius, addressing it to Ron and Hermione as well as the Weasley's, Lupin and who ever else was in the group Dumbledore had asked Sirius to gather and sent it off. The other one she had sent had been to Dumbledore, being a bit less calm but not to the degree of the one Mrs Weasley had sent Ron in their second year after they had stolen his father's magical flying Ford Angelina. She didn't want to anger very many people, just make them understand her frustration as to the silence. And if the letters weren't working then a howler it was.

She felt a little bit of pride in sending a howler for the first time, let alone two.

* * *

A few days after sending them Alicia went down for breakfast. Noel had been in her cage since the delivery and she'd had no reply, something she wasn't happy about but not all that surprised. She didn't speak to anyone as she ate, not that many spoke to her anyway, people had gotten bored of trying to get a reaction out of her and Portia and Alex knew where her sharp limit was and when not to push it.

Ms Bane walked in and over to Alicia as a few others sat down.

"Alicia may I have a word?" she asked and the black haired girl looked surprised before nodding.

They walked into the caretaker's office and Alicia paused when she saw who was sitting in the chair.

"Good day Miss Evans." Dumbledore greeted.

"Professor." Alicia nodded her head slightly as she crossed her arms.

"I'll give you both a minute." Ms Bane allowed as she closed the door and walked out. Alicia turned to her headmaster. He stood up and offered her a seat. She took it and waited for an excellent explanation.

"I guess I can understand you'd be frustrated."

"Angry is more the word I'd use, Professor." she said strongly and Dumbledore raised an eyebrow "I don't mean to be rude but I'm not clueless, I know Hermione and Ron are together somewhere, I know you're making plans and getting people together. I'm guessing that's where Ron and Hermione are, probably Sirius too." she admitted "I know Professor Snape is infiltrating the Death Eaters, something that sounds like a death wish really…" she muttered. Saying it out loud seemed to make some of the hate she had for Snape diminish a little. After all, for some reason she didn't believe Snape would be working the other way, spying on Dumbledore and his plans for Voldemort.

"And yet, I've heard nothing all summer." she said frowning "Ron and Hermione are keeping the information they know, no matter how little, from me, and Harry and I are on the outskirts completely swept to the side like we don't matter. Voldemort's bound to come for Harry at some point and if we know nothing of the information you're cumulating we're more vulnerable than ever." she explained.

Dumbledore just stood and watched her.

"We never know enough. We'd have been more prepared if we knew Quirrell was the culprit in our first year, we could have stopped him before he even got past Fluffy. We could have discovered Ginny was under Voldemort's influence in our second year and stopped him and the diary before she ever went down to the chamber. We could have known Peter was alive and captured him long before he pretended to be dead a second time and hid in Hagrid's hut. We could have known Moody was an imposter before he'd bewitched the cup at least!" Alicia took a deep breath "You can't keep us in the dark! It's bound to make something else bad happen."

She paused and looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to realise she was right and hopefully do as she asked, talked to her, told her what was wrong. She couldn't see the reason as to why they wouldn't tell her or Harry anything.

Dumbledore stared down at her, his eyes calculating what she'd said as she waited. She didn't remove her gaze from him, incase she missed a hidden message that could flash across his face.

Finally he seemed ready to speak.

"Alicia, you are right, I have been working on every angle to try and prevent Voldemort from regaining what he had before." he admitted and Alicia waited for what was coming next. "And I am not alone in the matter." Alicia guessed this already.

"You have a group of people helping." she said with a nod to which he nodded in return "And Hermione and Ron know about it." he hesitated this time but Alicia was giving him a narrowed eyed look that said she knew this and wanted him to confirm it.

"Yes." he said calmly.

"So why are Harry and I exempted?" she wondered "I know we have to stay here, Harry at least as he is protected somehow while with the Dursleys, but I don't understand how that means we have to be clueless, or how that can be at all the right thing to do? It seems to me like it'll only cause trouble?" Dumbledore sighed "We aren't children anymore professor."

Dumbledore opted to sit down in Ms Bane's chair and placed his long finger tips together, looking at her over his half moon spectacles.

"I believe you and Harry, Harry especially, have enough to worry about." Alicia opened her mouth to immediately disagree but Dumbledore raised one of his hands to prevent her from doing so. "You are however correct that Harry is protected with his family, his blood relatives, that is why he must return." Alicia muttered the words again and narrowed her eyebrows thinking.

"Blood relatives?" Alicia muttered "Are you saying that by staying with Aunt Petunia, he's protected by her thanks to the blood from our mother being shared or something?" Alicia asked. Dumbledore nodded

"But, then why am I here?" she questioned "Surely it'd be better if Harry and I were together, we'd be completely protected that way?" She was technically left vulnerable by being separated.

"Because, Voldemort is not after you as he is after Harry. You needed protection, and because of that I placed you closer to Harry than I would have otherwise felt comfortable with. The magic that protects Harry extends towards you and after you met Harry, formed a bond and the Dursley's refused to kick you out of their home, you were just as secured as Harry was. This is why I placed you in the orphanage so close to Harry and yet so secluded from the magical world, so that you would both grow up somewhat normal."

"That doesn't explain why we need to be excluded from information though Professor. Okay we need to return to Little Whinging, but we don't need to be clueless and left as though no one believed we could handle the news." She admitted "Why did you gather a specific number of people together, and how did you know they were the right people to do so, had you all gathered some other time together?" she paused and Dumbledore watched her

"These are the people from before Voldemort's down fall." she muttered and Dumbledore nodded, a slight smile on his face.

"It is known as the Order of the Phoenix." He admitted "A society I myself formed back before Voldemort disappeared. Your parents, Sirius, Lupin, Severus and many others were all a part of it." He then frowned "The reason I have not told you anything is because of the experience you and Harry went through last year." Dumbledore said

"We're fine Professor, really, it's sitting around not knowing anything thats—" but Dumbledore had begun to shake his head causing her to stop.

"I am not referring to what occurred in the graveyard." he admitted. Alicia looked at him confused.

"Now, I am here to offer you a choice of sorts." he said sitting up straight. "You may either come and join Miss Granger and Mr Weasley at headquarters, or you may remain here." Alicia waited

"What's the catch?"

"I do not want Harry knowing anything that is going on as of yet. It is too soon." Alicia looked at him dumbfounded and with disbelief.

"I can't stay here and lie to him!"

"Very well." Dumbledore nodded

"But I can't leave either, he'd definitely know something was up then and you'd have one hell of a storm to deal with later! I'm the one thing that makes returning to Little Whinging worth while! I can't leave him here stuck with the Dursleys, professor you know what they're like to him." She half pleaded.

"This is my decision Alicia." Alicia stared with her mouth open. "If you cannot do as I have asked if you stay then I will make arrangements for your departure. Also note, that no information will be passed to you through owl, it is too risky incase the letters get intercepted."

"There are other ways of sending information though!" she hissed her anger building. Dumbledore however made no move to address this.

Alicia was shocked. Dumbledore had always been so fair, smart, yet now he seemed as though something was getting in the way and completely changing his decision.

"I do not, unfortunately, have time to delegate much more Miss Potter." the name sounded surprising as Alicia had never been addressed by it before.

"So I have to decide now, whether I want to leave my only family member behind in the dark while the most feared wizard of the age is after him, or go and be a part of stopping said wizard that is after my last family member, be cut off from said member and possibly prevent us from being in trouble for this year?" she recapped, using her lips together angrily.

She knew Dumbledore had his reasons and that they were probably good reasons but she couldn't justify either of those choices. Why couldn't he just take Harry and her away or keep them involved? It wasn't like he was leaving the two alone, if she was right in the fact that Dumbledore may have someone watching them.

"Are you having someone tail Harry?" she asked. Dumbledore sighed before he looked at her, contemplating on how to answer.

"You wouldn't leave him alone, unprotected." she said seriously.

"Yes I am keeping an eye on him." he confessed.

Alicia didn't know how that made her feel, whether she felt better or worse. She knew the reason Dumbledore didn't give her more time to choose was because she'd run off and tell Harry everything. Not that she knew very much in the first place, all he'd told her was his reason for leaving Harry here. And that he had someone tailing him.

She knew straight up that she wanted to stay, she wasn't leaving Harry behind. But then if that was an option, she'd tell Harry everything anyway and Dumbledore wouldn't have bothered with making her choose on the spot? He believed she'd choose to go!

 _Why?_

Well, if she left she'd learn things that could help, she'd be able to protect him, she'd be a part of something bigger than just the two of them. Here she was useless and defenceless. If only she could communicate in a way that didn't involve owls, or flow powder, or anything traceable.

Wait… Alicia realised There is. her eyes were still on Dumbledore as she calculated and remembered an inescapable ability. She and Harry were linked, and through an unseeable series of events last year, Alicia had found the deeper parts of such a link. She could use them to her abilities.

 _Would they work while being so far away? I've always been in the vicinity of Harry…_ she remembered. But how else would she find out if it did work from far away?

 _You're still linked either way…_ Alicia took a deep breath. She could keep Harry involved that way, then neither would be left out or vulnerable. She just had to make it work willingly, every other time Harry had been going through some adrenaline rush.

 _Was it worth it?_ Alicia thought so, as much as leaving Harry alone with the Dursleys hurt her, she technically wouldn't leave Harry completely. _And if Dumbledore's insistent on keeping this ridiculous arrangement of keeping Harry in the dark and, after telling me things, refusing to let me stay, then it's the only way_. Alicia realised.

"I don't really get the choice do I?" she muttered "You don't want Harry to know anything yet you told me things. You know I'd tell him."

"It is in his best interest, it has not even been a month since Voldemort returned. He needs time to cope." he said

"Professor, he'll be fifteen soon. He's not nearly as much of a child as you seem to think. He's also faced more things than most adults." Alicia reminded him "Besides, I've been through everything he has and you told me. You're excuses are invalid." Though he hadn't told her much.

"If you will go upstairs and pack your things then Alicia, I'll have someone down momentarily to transport you. Before hand though I need to speak with Ms Bane if you please." Alicia stood from her chair, slowly and confused.

Dumbledore wasn't acting as he usually did, he was distant and cut off, not as friendly or, even happy, he didn't seem as happy as usual. Though the twinkle could still be seen. Alicia wasn't sure if this was because of Voldemort's return but she had a feeling this knew distance was contributing to Harry's lack of involvement. It was almost as though Dumbledore was afraid… but whether it was for their safety or someone else or some other purpose, she wasn't sure.

Alicia went to find Ms Bane who as soon as she saw her moved back to her office as Alicia moved to walk up the stairs. She'd only gotten halfway before she heard footsteps and turned to see Portia and Alex behind her.

"What's going on?" Alex asked

"I'm leaving." Alicia admitted

"Already?" Portia looked sad

"Apparently." Alicia grumbled

"You don't sound happy about that?"

"I'm happy to be involved and no longer isolated…"

"But," Portia expected

"But Harry isn't coming. He's being excluded." Alicia said

"Why?"

"Of what?" Alex asked at the same time

"You don't want to know."

"I asked didn't I?" Alex said annoyed

"Yeah, but you don't know what it is." Alicia muttered as the girls shared a concerned look.

"Can you tell us why he's being excluded?"

"They think he has enough on his plate." Alicia rolled her eyes as she opened her door

"But you don't think so?"

"I've been through everything Harry has, yet they're letting me in." she admitted. Alicia moved to her trunk and lifted the lid with ease as Alex stared at it open mouthed, having not been able to budge the lid a few days prior.

With the lid open Alicia began to move through her room and pack everything she'd need for the next year, all her school possessions, normal clothes, her broomstick, her parchments, utensils etc. Alex and Portia looked at all the things in the trunk. Curiosity getting the better of her Alex picked up a book when Alicia's back was turned, earning a glare from Portia.

Alicia turned to see the two reading her transfiguration text book. Both were staring open mouthed at the contents.

"Told you she was into this stuff." Alex said to Portia

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly it's a hobby." Alex shrugged

Portia looked at Alicia who nodded, trying to encourage the idea but Portia raised her eyebrows.

"I don't think that's it." Alex looked from the book to Portia and then to Alicia.

"What else would it be?" Alex asked slowly.

Alicia put the things in her hands into the trunk and continued as the two watched. She placed her wand in her pocket and felt the girls' eyes on her.

Portia was looking at everything in the trunk, at Alicia, the owl, the broom. She looked at Alicia scrutinisingly. She knew Alicia had none of these things until she met Harry and went to that school, but she didn't understand why she'd need any of it for a boarding school.

Alicia continued to move, she knew Dumbledore will try and get her out of here before she'd have the chance to run down to Harry's. She also knew Dumbledore would have to explain some situation to Ms Bane and probably give her an alibi to give Harry when he came looking for her. Hopefully that'd give her a little more time if she packed quickly…

She ignored the two girls standing around watching, Alex moving back to the trunk every time her back was turned. She'd given up on bothering to hide it now, there was no point. They didn't know the truth and the suspicions had been there since her third year at least. They were bound to figure it out, and if they worked it out themselves maybe she wouldn't get in trouble. Even if she did, their memories would be wiped and that'd be the end of it.

"You've only been back for like two weeks as if you're leaving already?" Portia muttered as she looked through Alicia's potions book confused "Half this stuff I've never even heard of…" she muttered more to herself.

"I don't actually get the choice." Alicia muttered "And it wouldn't surprise me, remember, different world." she was grabbing clothes from her cupboard to throw into the trunk.

"How do you carry this with this many things in it?" Alex demanded looking at the piling up trunk.

"Practice." Alicia answered.

"This is going to sound really stupid but I have to ask," Portia began looking up from the book worried "Are these really a hobby or…?" Alicia sighed

"They're actually, my text books." she confessed, giving up on the secrecy, she was leaving anyway.

"No they're not." Alex disagreed shaking her head. "How can these be text books? They're gibberish."

"To you." Alicia said, not stopping to look at their faces.

"You're telling me you learn how to change things from one object to another and mix… potions?" Alex laughed slightly

"You wanted to know what the hells going on with me, this is the answer. I'm over bothering to be discreet with you both, you'd figure it out eventually." Alicia moved over to Noel who was sitting quietly in her cage watching the girls. Alicia opened the door and placed her arm in for the owl to hop onto which she did.

"I don't think you want to be cooped up so go to where Hermione and Ron are. I'll meet you there." She said moving over to the window. Alex and Portia looked at one another with a worried look. Alicia was talking to a bird…

The owl nibbled Alicia's ear before spreading her wide wings and taking off through the window. Alicia then turned to clean out Noel's cage.

"You know talking to a bird makes you look crazy right?"

"To me and all my friends, it's normal to own an owl and to talk to it." Alicia said simply as she looked through her trunk. She sighed as she rearranged it making it neat so that the lid would close. She took the books back from Portia and Alex and any other's they'd removed.

"Talking to owls, or even owning one, isn't normal."

"To you lot." Alicia muttered. She sighed as she tried to make everything fit. "This'd be so much easier if I could use Pack." she muttered irritatedly as the two girls rose an eyebrow.

"Come on, as if you haven't figured it out yet." Alicia sighed "I'm not allowed to tell you but you want to know so just hurry up and piece the dots together would you." she moved over to her bedside table and picked up the moving picture frame of her parents as well as all the Daily Prophets which were going on top. She didn't need to keep all the papers but she felt it better for when she'd get frustrated later on and want to go threw them all again, as she knew would happen. Just because she was leaving, doesn't mean she'd be told anything specific. If Mrs Weasley had her way she'd probably disallow all her children plus Hermione and Alicia to be excluded. Alicia wasn't going to stand for that though.

"Alicia it looks like you're obsessed with witchcraft." Alex said with a rise eyebrow

"Not obsessed, it's to do with school." Alicia corrected

"You're saying you're learning witchcraft at school?" Portia wondered, talking slowly

"Yep." The girls looked surprised.

"Ladies." Alicia stopped and turned to them "Harry and I attend Hogwarts School or Witchcraft and Wizardry." she said giving a slight curtsy before returning to her packing.

"But do not tell a single soul or I promise I'll erase you're memories of this." she warned with her back to them as she moved a few more things in her trunk and then closed the lid. It was a tight squeeze and she shuffled her things a bit more before the lid closed with a click and Alicia was able to lock the locks together. She then grabbed Noel's cage and placed it on top.

"Sorry. Are you telling us you're a witch?" Alex asked, she looked as though daring Alicia to say yes. The girl moved her wand from her pocket and held it out for the two to see.

"Yes. I am." she admitted "Hence the wand," she pointed "The broom, the owl, the magic text books, the secrecy, etcetera etcetera." she muttered before crossing her arms and watching them.

Both girls stared.

"All those weird things I did as a child, the fact that I was suddenly taken to a different school no one had heard of, the fact that I found a long lost sibling… all ties back to that."

Still nothing from the girls who were staring.

"I'd show you, but there's a law that underage witches and wizards aren't allowed to do magic outside of school." Alicia sighed "There's also a law that non magic folk, aka Muggles, aren't allowed to know so you can't tell anyone! If they find out you know, they'll wipe your memories and probably arrest me or something."

"For something so trivial?" Alex said, her voice sounded as though she didn't believe a single word of this.

"Our government, known as the Ministry of Magic, isn't very happy with Harry and I at the moment."

"Oh yeah?" Alex asked with a chuckle "What did you do?"

"Told the world something terrible had happened and naturally the Minister of Magic, like the top government guy, decided we were lying because he's too afraid to face the truth."

"And what could be so bad?" Alicia was ignoring Alex's tone as Portia stared, her mouth hanging open.

"The guy who killed my parents, the evilest, darkest wizard of this age, came back to life… sort of, he was never really dead in the first place."

Alex's sarcastic disbelieving tone vanished as the girls looked shocked.

"Your parents were killed?" they both asked

"Murdered." Alicia nodded "And the guy who did it, wants to kill Harry too, that was his intention from the beginning. And don't ask me why cause I still don't know." she said simply as she turned to look at everything and make sure everything she needed was there. Her trunk and Noel's cage sat together and Alicia had her normal carry bag packed with what was left of her money, a jacket, a book, some parchment, ink and quill and the Marauders map which she still possessed from when Mr Crouch's son had handed it to her a few weeks ago. Her wand would go in depending on her means of travel.

"Okay, I think I'm packed." she muttered glancing around the room again. "Right then!" and she moved to the door but as she opened it Dumbledore stood there. Alicia sighed and her face fell. She hoped he hadn't heard any of their conversation but his expression was the same calm distant look had been before.

"I have contacted a few people who will be here within a few minutes to collect you." he explained glancing at Alex and Portia. Alicia saw his usual twinkling smile appear within the crook of his mouth for a minute.

"I have informed Ms Bane of your situation and I will see you next time I'm around." he admitted and Alicia raised an eyebrow almost not believing him. The headmaster nodded his head before turning and leaving.

Alicia believed he'd given her caretaker an excuse or alibi for Harry, he wouldn't explain in detail about Voldemort, she didn't need to be freaked out… but maybe she did need to know, after all, Alicia could be putting all the other kids in danger.

"Who's he?" Alex whispered as they peaked their heads around the door frame to watch the old man leave.

"He's the headmaster, absolutely brilliant, a bit mad though." Alicia admitted

"He looks ancient!"

"How'd he get his beard so long?" Alicia rolled her eyes and turned to pick up her bag and Noel's cage. She walked them down the stairs to the door before returning to grab her trunk. She'd lugged it down these stairs four times already, and she expected to be doing so until she graduated.

Alex and Portia watched her surprised as she instinctively pulled the trunk down the stairs and pulled it up next to the front door.

"Are you going to say good bye to Harry?" Portia wondered

"It has been purposely arranged so that I can't." Alicia sighed

"What do you mean?" Alex's eyebrows furrowed. Alicia held her finger up telling them to wait before speaking in a loud voice.

"Hey Alex, I think I'm going to quickly run down to Harry's and say goodbye." they quickly heard Ms Bane's shoes hitting the floor before she appeared in the hall.

"Alicia, Professor Dumbledore asked that you remain here until your escorts arrive so you don't miss them. He said they wont be long." she informed. Alicia turned to the two girls with an expected look and they looked surprised.

Ms Bane walked away, glancing at the three after Alicia agreed to stay.

"What's that about?"

"Harry's not allowed to know anything for some reason so I'm not allowed to run off and tell him." Alicia said

"Tell him what?" Alex wondered

"I'm being rushed off to a secret place where everything's happening. I can't tell you anything incase someone's listening." she rolled her eyes.

"Why would someone be listening?" Alex wondered

"It's moving into a dark time for our kind." Alicia whispered "The man who murdered Harry and my parents is back and he's evil as evil, kills for fun." Alicia muttered and the girls looked surprised. Alicia nodded

"You watch the news over the next year, unexplained disappearances, killings, mysterious changes in character, or weather." Alicia said "Do me a favour, never go anywhere alone and suspect everyone weird looking." she warned and the girls looked worried "I don't think you're in any trouble if I'm not here but who knows." she bit her lip. "And when Harry comes around to find me and Ms Bane gives him some bullshit explanation," Alicia lowered her voice "tell him Dumbledore came to find me, took me to the headquarters of his operation and doesn't want Harry knowing anything! Hermione and Ron are there too." Alicia said speaking slowly. "Understand?" the girls looked at one another before nodding.

"Great." Alicia hugged them both "If you can do that, it'd mean the world! But be careful, he's going to pissed about it." they nodded again. "And tell him I'm going to try and contact him but it probably wont be by owl."

"Owl?" Portia asked

"We send letters with owls." Alicia nodded "Instead of post." they looked surprised

"Just remember all that, go write it down if you have to, just remember." They nodded again before the door rang.

Alicia moved to open it to find a tall bald man standing before her.

"Alicia I assume?" he asked and Alicia nodded mutely.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt." He introduced and she nodded again. "I'm here to take you to your godfather." Alicia glanced at Portia and Alex who both looked shocked by the news she had a living adult relative other than the Dursleys.

"Thanks, my things are just here." she pointed and Kingsley nodded. He turned around and nodded his head to the door. Alicia followed his glance to see three other people by a car. Was that a ministry car? Alicia wasn't sure how they managed to get one for her as the Ministry didn't like her all that much…

Two men walked forwards as well as a young girl.

"Alicia this is Dedlus Diggle, Sturgus Podmore and Nymphadora Tonks." Nymphadora shuddered and pulled a face as her name was said.

"It's Tonks." she corrected, she had violent violet hair and a heart shaped face.

"Alicia E-Potter." she stumbled and waved to which they all beamed at her.

"Alicia, is that you— ?" Ms Bane paused at the doorway

"I believe it is Ms Bane." Alicia nodded "This is my caretaker." she introduced to the four wizards. Each nodded their heads to her before Sturgis and Dedalus moved to take Alicia's trunk and cage to the car.

Alicia turned to Alex and Portia and pulled them both into a hug.

"Don't forget what I said and look out for one another, I'll see you next summer. Hopefully." she muttered "If you have any questions ask Harry, though, he might not want company so don't push it." she warned and the two nodded. "And try not to ask about what happened at the end of the year, I don't think he'll want to talk about that either." she pulled away from them and smiled.

"Have a good year."

"Write to us?" they asked and Alicia nodded before turning and grabbing her rucksack and walking to the door.

"Be careful." Ms Bane ordered

"I'll try." Alicia sighed before she walked to the car.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

It was a rather long drive, but the car had been magicked to be much roomier inside then was normal, so Alicia, Tonks and Dedalus all fit in the back like a limo while Kingsley and Sturgis sat in the front, Kingsley driving.

"So how'd you manage to get a ministry car?" Alicia wondered

"Well Kingsley and I work for the ministry, Aurors." Tonks explained "Kingsley managed to get us a car without too much suspicion."

"Was there no other way?" Alicia wondered casually as she stared out the window. The car seemed to be going oddly fast for a car, something that probably wasn't legal on the muggle roads but she'd seen Ministry cars jump cues so she guessed the muggles didn't notice them, as they never saw the Nightbus unless it was stopped.

"Well the floo network is being monitored and we can't Apparate you. We could have flown but it's too risky in the daylight." Tonks listed and Alicia nodded understanding. She wasn't sure if Kingsley randomly borrowing a car was any better but…

They drove all day in silence, Alicia wasn't surprised no one turned a radio on, they probably weren't sure how and didn't want to bother with finding the right station for them. Alicia watched as houses sawed past over and over. Alicia was looking forward to seeing Ron and Hermione, and especially Sirius but the guilt was stronger than her excitement, guilt for leaving Harry. Hopefully the girls gave him her message, hopefully they remembered, and hopefully she could figure out how to work this thing of hers to contact him, for she was sure Noel was going to be stolen or Mrs Weasley would go through all her letters. There was also the fact that if it was a secret hideout, Noel wouldn't be able to leave very often.

She'd probably be locked up somewhere to keep people from knowing where she was, who she was and to keep her from contacting Harry, so she'd have plenty of time to figure out her communication method.

Dusk had set in before Kingsley pulled up in front of a couple of the grimy fronts of houses, a few with broken windows and paint peeling from the doors. Rubbish lay outside several of the front steps.

Alicia looked to see they'd parked between the houses of number eleven and number thirteen.

 _That's odd, where's number twelve…?_ on the other side of the road was a fence with a gap in the middle, something that lead to a small square.

"Here we are." Tonks smiled as she opened the door for Alicia. Dedalus had grabbed her trunk and Sturgis her owl's cage.

Alicia pulled her rucksack to her shoulder and looked around the street.

"Here." Kingsley handed Alicia a piece of paper, looking down at it Alicia noticed Dumbledore's handwriting.

 _The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London._

Alicia looked back at the houses as Kingsley took the note but number twelve wasn't there. Alicia thought over the words again, if the Order of the Phoenix was a secret society then there'd have to be cloaking on the place to stop the Death Eaters finding it.

As Alicia thought over the words she'd just read suddenly a door appeared before her. Windows and walls followed and number eleven and thirteen were pushed away from one another as though number twelve was inflating itself. Alicia watched it as the muggles on either side barely seemed to notice, this didn't surprise her.

When everything stopped moving Alicia moved towards the front door without a hint. She heard the others follow as the car started up again, glancing over her shoulder she noticed Kingsley was leaving. Guessing he had to return the car within the suspicion time.

Tonks took out her wand when they reached the black peeling door with a silver serpent knocker and tapped it with her wand. Several loud metallic clicks sounded from the other side and what sounded like the clatter of a chain joined it.

The door creaked open.

"Quick." Tonks grinned, Alicia shared a smirk before she slipped inside, the other three behind her and the door closed quickly behind them.

The hall smelled damp and dusty, there was barely any light but the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet could be made out through the hallway they'd entered. A chandelier glimmered over head, covered in cobwebs and age blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls. It felt like a derelict building.

Alicia felt this place had long been abandoned until Dumbledore decided to use it for the society.

She could here a few clatters echoing through the house, nothing too loud. Someone was moving around just down the end of the hall, in something that sounded like a basement. Alicia was sure it'd be Mrs Weasley in the kitchen at this time of night. The twins were probably making the racket upstairs, Hermione, Ron and Ginny watching over. Percy was probably locked up in a room he'd chosen for himself, Sirius would be lying around aggravated as he was locked up, or he'd be in the kitchen making a nuisance of himself, or maybe he knew how to cook, before he ended up in Azkaban.

Alicia snickered slightly at the thought, if that were the case she didn't think he'd have been living off rats last year.

They moved to the end of the hall and then down a set of stairs. It was a cavernous room with stone walls. The light in the room as coming from the fire burning at the far end, many heavy iron pots and pans hung from the dark celling and many chairs were crammed in the room around a long wooden table.

Alicia noticed at once that the recognisable red hair of Mrs Weasley was bustling around as she made dinner for the household. Alicia guessed that as this was headquarters there'd be more than just the Weasley's, Hermione and Sirius staying. Tonks probably did as well as Lupin and a few other's she probably hadn't met yet.

Alicia moved through the room and over to Mrs Weasley.

"Would you like a hand?" she asked. Mrs Weasley jumped before turning to Alicia.

"Oh Alicia dear!" she beamed and quickly put the pots and her wand in her hand down to give her a hug. Alicia wasn't sure if Mrs Weasley knew she was coming or if she'd forgotten, but her expression said it was one or the other.

"Hello Mrs Weasley."

"How are you sweetie?"

"I'm alright." Alicia nodded

"You need to excuse me, I would have come up and greeted you if I'd known you were here, I'm still learning where everything is." she admitted looking around. Alicia noticed the bench tops had a few odds and sods lying around with empty draws from where Mrs Weasley had been searching for something.

Alicia chuckled.

"That's alright, would you like some help?"

"Oh don't be silly dear, you've travelled a long way, you probably want to go and settle in. You get to share with Hermione and Ginny upstairs, unless of course you'd like you're own room, I'll show you the way." she said

"Actually Mrs Weasley I'd rather help you with dinner, that way I can eat it quicker." Alicia giggled and Mrs Weasley let out a laugh.

"Yes I guess that'd make sense. Alright then." Alicia turned to her escorts by the door.

"You can just leave my things there for now, I'll take them up later. Thanks for your help." she said. "That's alright we'll take them upstairs." Dedalus said

"Don't bother, I'll have the twins do it later." Alicia smiled. They shared a look before both Surges and Dedalus nodded and placed her things down out of the way by the door.

"I'll help too Molly." Tonks decided and she tripped over several chair legs as she made her way over to Alicia and Mrs Weasley.

"Careful there…" Alicia muttered

"Oh don't worry, I'm awfully clumsy." Tonks waved the thought away

"Then do you really think it's a good idea we put you on the food we're going to eat?" Alicia asked chuckling "Or with a knife or stove." Tonks rolled her eyes but smiled

"Fine." she allowed and she moved from to sit at the table.

"Thanks dear, she has caused a few disasters already." Mrs Weasley admitted, to which Alicia chuckled.

"So how long have you been here?" Alicia asked as she began to cut up some vegetables.

"Only a week or so. We've been trying to clean the place up most days, as we're not allowed out very often, safety measures and all. There's a terrible amount of dust and all sorts of creatures living here." Mrs Weasley explained

"I guess it's been as deserted as it looks then." Alicia sighed

"It's been empty for ten years." Mrs Weasley nodded

"How'd you find it then?" Alicia wondered

"Oh it's Sirius' parents house." Mrs Weasley smiled.

"Sirius grew up here?" Alicia asked surprised. Mrs Weasley nodded

"He offered it to Dumbledore as headquarters. His father put quite the amount of muggle repelling and safety charms on it as you might have noticed, so it fit rather well."

"I bet." Alicia muttered

"By the way, you do know the situation involving Harry do you not?" Mrs Weasley asked looking slightly saddened.

"I completely disagree with it." Alicia said annoyed.

"Dumbledore knows best dear…"

"Dumbledore's making excuses and I refuse to allow it to happen this way. I know my brother and this is the most terrible way to deal with his situation." Alicia said stubbornly and she focused on the vegetables she was cutting. Mrs Weasley didn't say anything else on the matter but Alicia knew she'd signed herself a bodyguard. Mrs Weasley would be watching every move of communication from the girl. But that was alright, if they caught her trying to contact in the normal ways then maybe she'd get through with her own plans undetected. It'd look suspicious if she tried to not contact Harry at all.

They cooked as Alicia asked which rooms they'd cleaned, clearly the kitchen and bedrooms were first and the others were being put to the side until that was done.

"Kreacher isn't helping the situation very much though, he keeps coming and taking things he think should stay." Mrs Weasley sighed "Get's under Sirius' skin that one."

"Kreacher?"

"He's the house elf here dear." she explained.

"And how have things been going with the order?" Alicia asked casually, though she saw Mrs Weasley pause from the corner of her eye. "Smoothly? Getting anywhere?"

"It's been tough," Mrs Weasley's voice was cautious as she thought about what to say. "We have to work below the Minster's nose as I'm guessing you're aware, we have those who were in the order before when You-Know-Why was last in power, those who survived anyway. Dumbledore's working other angles outside. He has Charlie trying to create connections with foreign wizards, and Bill's come home to help out."

"He's not in Egypt?" Alicia wondered. She wasn't sure if Ron would get in trouble for telling her that or not, so she just pretended not to know and stuck to asking the simple questions. She knew Mrs Weasley wouldn't want to tell her the important information as she was 'still a child' so she kept it on the down low for now, she could pester Sirius instead later. He was bound to give her more information than Mrs Weasley. Though that might take a bit of work as well.

"No he exchanged to a desk job in order to help out with the order." Mrs Weasley smiled "It's good to have him home for a change, we do hardly get to see him and Charlie lately." Alicia nodded and began again.

"And what about—" there was a cough behind her and Alicia turned to Tonks who was shaking her head seriously. She crossed her arms over in an x and Alicia raised an eyebrow. Did something happen to Percy?

"I can understand that…" she said slowly and Tonks nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "Guessing Ron and the Twins are helping out with the cleaning." Alicia smirked, seeing the twins being forced to clean.

"Everyone has to play their role."

"And how's Mr Weasley doing at work? I'm assuming Fudge suspects him?" Mrs Weasley sighed.

"It is tough and Arthur's trying, but yes he has to work quickly and under the radar. Kingsley and Tonks as well as a few others are trying as well though." Alicia nodded

"How's Sirius doing? Cooped up here?"

"He's taking it better than I expect, but it hasn't been long. He knows the risks though."

"Seeing as Wormtail would have let his shaggy identity slip." Alicia smirked slightly and then sighed.

"Right then." Alicia looked down to see a rather large dinner before them. They'd cooked a soup as well as some chicken with spuds and snags. Alicia had hardly noticed what they'd been making but it looked delicious.

"I'll go and collect everyone shall I, we don't need to wake everyone up after all." Alicia looked confused as she left the kitchen.

"Who would we be waking?" Alicia asked Tonks as she moved to sit beside her.

"Oh there's a portrait in the hallway, a life sized one, it has curtains drawn over it. Behind is a portrait of Sirius' mother, my second or third cousin." she thought as Alicia looked at her surprised "Sirius was cousins of my mother so, third cousin his mother would be." Tonks nodded.

"I guess all pure-blooded families would be related in order to keep it in the family…" Alicia sighed with a roll of the eyes. For some reason she'd never thought Sirius was a pure blood… maybe it had something to do with the matted look he'd always had about him… or the fact that she knew nothing about Sirius' family. They must've been well off however though if they had a house elf.

Alicia heard footsteps approaching the room, though quietly and the voices were seriously hushed.

"You didn't tell me what was wrong with waking the portrait?" Alicia said to Tonks. She snorted slightly.

"Well Sirius' typically pure blooded mother is absolutely appalled that there's a muggle-born and blood traitors within her house. So when ever she's alerted to their presence she screams at the top of her lungs insulting them." Alicia raised an eyebrow.

"The curtains are to keep her from seeing as well as hearing. That's why we need to be quiet." Alicia thought.

"You know, somehow I can see Sirius' mother being like that…" she snickered and Tonks chuckled beside her.

"Well, you would be the first." Alicia looked up to see Sirius had walked into the room. He still had long black hair.

"And you need a serious hair cut." Alicia admitted pulling a grimace. Sirius laughed his barking laugh as Alicia grinned and stood up. Sirius walked over to her and pulled her into a grateful hug. When they broke apart however Alicia punched his shoulder.

"That's for not telling me anything! Don't you dare keep important things from me again!" she ordered, she ignored Tonks who snorted to hide her laughter. "And that includes in the future." Alicia hissed seriously. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You be grateful this is the only warning you get from me. Harry'll be worse if you keep it from him too." Sirius sighed.

"Alicia!?" she turned to see Hermione, Ron and Ginny at the doorway staring at her shocked.

"Hey." she smiled

"What are you doing here?" Hermione questioned

"Really? You think I'm going to be left out?" she questioned "Didn't you get my howler?" she smirked and Ron grimaced as he remembered it.

Ginny chuckled and moved forwards to hug the black haired girl.

"Hey Ginny."

"Jeez I'm glad you're here." Ginny chuckled

"What are these people boring?" the two laughed as Hermione walked over and hugged the girl too.

"Just because you sent us a howler doesn't mean it'd do anything." she said

"Yeah but clearly you didn't know I sent a angrier one to Dumbledore too." Everyone looked at her shocked, well the children did, the adult's not so much and Sirius smirked.

"Alicia you didn't." Hermione scolded

"Course I did." Alicia said crossing her arms stubbornly with a shrug. She then smirked. Hermione looked at her disapprovingly.

"Though this does explain why Noel randomly turned up." Ginny said

"She's here then?"

"Turned up this morning, we were all really confused actually." Ginny confessed "She's upstairs with Pig."

"Bet she loves that." Alicia grinned

"Well, well, well, look who's here!" The twins had appeared.

"I've got to say it's about time!" Fred smirked and Alicia raised her arms. Their was a crack and the twins were suddenly in front of Alicia giving her a hug as she groaned.

"Oh no, you two passed your apparation test." everyone laughed.

"Free magic baby." George smirked

"Don't miss-use it will you," Alicia warned.

Ron came over and gave her a hug next.

"How's Harry?" he asked

"How do you think? He's pissed." she emphasised "No joke, if he knew how to, he'd be sending you a howler every week." she laughed but everyone looked sad.

She rolled her eyes, there was a simple solution to their problem but she guessed no one wanted to defy Dumbledore but her.

"So dinner everyone?" she asked. Everyone sat at the table and Mrs Weasley placed the food down its middle. The plates had already been placed out as well as the cutlery and cups, allowing people to get up and grab what ever drink they wished.

Everyone chatted around the table. Lupin turned up not five minutes in, a few others appeared that Alicia hadn't met.

"How have you been Alicia?" Lupin wondered

"Not bad, better now… I think." she muttered with a shrug. "How have you been?" she wondered Lupin sighed.

"Working for the order. Hasn't been all that easy." he confessed

"Are you trying to figure out what Voldemort's after?" Everyone stopped and looked at them. Alicia rolled her eyes. "Jeez are you all going to get tense at every question that involves him, you can just say yes you know?" she snapped annoyed. Sirius smirked slightly as Mrs Weasley looked over everyone daring them to say any more on the matter.

"Yes, we are." Lupin answered. Alicia simply nodded and left it at that. Ron and Hermione glanced at her a bit as Alicia caught Sirius' eye. He winked at her and she smirked slightly.

They helped pack away the dishes and Mrs Weasley made the dishes wash themselves under her watch.

"So is Mr Weasley working late?" Alicia asked. Mrs Weasley sighed.

"He has done so a few nights, trying to help Dumbledore." she admitted and Alicia nodded.

"Come on Alicia, I'll show you were you're sleeping." Ginny grinned

"Thanks." Alicia smiled and she spotted Fred and George heading for the exit. "Oi! You two miscreants." she called and they turned to her confused "Bags." she pointed to her trunk

"What?"

"You two enjoy apparating so much, take it upstairs." she ordered, a few people laughed as the twins scowled and grabbed the trunk before disappearing with it with a loud crack!

"Well done." Tonks congratulated and Alicia smirked before she took Ginny's hand and was lead from the room. As soon as they were away from the listening ears enough Alicia lowered her voice considerably to a whisper.

"So how's it going with Michael?" she asked and Ginny shrugged

"Alright, it's hard to send too many owls at the moment."

"No surprise." Alicia sighed

"How about Anthony?" Ginny wondered

"Only had a few letters so far but he seems fine." Alicia answered before she glanced around at the portraits, making sure none would scream if she spoke again "By the way, what happened to Percy?" she questioned "I almost brought him up and Tonks shushed me." Ginny looked at her and rolled her eyes.

"A week or so ago something… bad happened." she admitted as they reached the second landing.

"What?" Alicia questioned.

"Percy and Dad had an argument." Ginny said

"More like a fight." Alicia and Ginny turned to see Ron and Hermione had caught up to them as they climbed up to the next landing, Ginny in front.

"Not a fight, a row." Fred and George had poked their heads out of a room to the side. "Dad was furious! Scarier than mum."

"Your dad?" Alicia asked in disbelief. The Weasley's all nodded. "Is that even possible?"

"Apparently." Fred muttered

"Now every time Percy's mentioned Mum cries and dad breaks something," Ron confessed

"What did they fight about?" Alicia sat on the bed within the room, her trunk was at the foot and there was one other that also looked untouched. Alicia guessed the twins had decided to give her her own room, probably so they could barge in and talk to her about something, maybe their joke shop ideas.

"Well, Percy got a promotion." Ron said, Alicia's eyebrows shot up.

"What? After failing to notice his boss was under the Imperius curse and they investigated him so?" she questioned and everyone nodded.

"It was a bit of a shock." Ginny said

"A bit? It was unnecessary."

"What position did he get?" Alicia wondered

"Personal assistant to the Minister of Magic." Now Alicia looked disbelieving.

"Yeah that's how we felt." Ron nodded

"So Fudge is using Percy to get to Dumbledore through your dad?" Alicia asked and everyone looked at her

"That's exactly what dad thought." Ginny admitted

"Percy came home more proud of himself than he had ever been." Fred confessed

"If that's possible." George muttered

"I think he expected Dad to be happy." Ginny sighed

"He definitely was not." Ron sighed

"Apparently, Fudge has been trying to make sure that nobody's had contact with Dumbledore." Fred said

"So naturally Dad assumed what you did Alicia," Ginny said

"It doesn't help that the prophet and ministry have been putting dirt to Dumbledore. Everyone thinks he's making up the fact that You-Know-Who's back."

"That's because they're too frightened by the idea." Alicia muttered

"Yes well, Fudge threatened to fire those who were in league with Dumbledore." Alicia looked surprised

"That's a bit far isn't it? I mean so many people respect Dumbledore." the Weasley's and Hermione nodded.

"So he promoted Percy because he suspects your dad then?" Alicia asked and everyone nodded.

"And dad told Percy that." Ron sighed. "Said that Fudge only wanted Percy to spy on us."

"And Percy snapped?" Alicia asked

"He went berserk." the Weasley's all chorused.

"He said,"

"A lot of bad things." Ginny cut Fred off.

"He blamed dad for getting work." Ron said

"How so?" Alicia wondered

"Apparently Percy said he had to struggle to get work because of Mr Weasley's lousy reputation and that he has no ambition and…" Hermione paused and looked at Ron.

"Percy blamed that for our family not having very much money…" Ginny confessed Alicia stared.

"He what?!" Alicia demanded "How could he say that?!"

"It got worse from there, Percy called dad an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and that dad would go down with him." Ron explained

"He then decided that he knew where his loyalties lie and it was with the ministry instead of his family." Fred shrugged

"Then he decided if Mum and dad were going to become traitors, he'd make sure everyone knew he wasn't a part of our family." George said

"So be packed his bags and left." Ginny finished.

"That's awful." Alicia muttered looking angry.

"Mum's been crying about it." Ginny sighed

"She went to visit him in London but," Ron began

"He slammed the door in her face."

"His own mother?" Alicia asked appalled and the Weasley's nodded.

"So he doesn't believe Voldemort's back then?" everyone flinched but nodded

"Apparently you and Harry's word isn't good enough."

"I guess the Daily Prophet hasn't been helping that." Alicia rolled her eyes.

"That's why we don't say his name."

"Also explain's why he's not here." Alicia nodded.

Everyone sighed and silence fell.

"So, I'm guessing you guys know very little about what the order's doing?" Alicia asked and everyone nodded "Because your mother thinks we're all too young to handle it?" another group nod. "But do we know anything?" she wondered

"We will." Fred smirked

"What did you make?" she asked eagerly and George disappeared with a crack before reappearing.

"These." there was a heap of long skin coloured threads, all bundled in their own individual knots.

"Extendable ears."

"Put one end in the ear and the other to what you want to listen to."

"And you got them working?" Alicia asked eagerly.

"So far." the twins nodded

"Excellent, we can use them in the mean time."

"In the mean time?" Hermione asked

"I didn't come here to sit on the sidelines." Alicia confessed "I knew I'd be kept out of the information and if that was the case why didn't I just stay with Harry?" she asked and they shared a look, the twins grinning. "Because here, I can try harder. Mrs Weasley doesn't have a hold of me, I'm good at piecing information and better yet, I'm great at proving a case." she said "I think." she muttered as an after thought.

"I'm going to get information from some of them, don't tell Mrs Weasley, I'm going to work on Sirius instead." Alicia said stubbornly "And then, I'm going to tell Harry." everyone looked shocked

"What?" Hermione asked "Alicia you can't, we swore…"

"You did. Dumbledore asked me not to but I made no promises and I refuse to do so." Alicia hissed "I am not leaving him out of this, all Dumbledore's excuses for not having Harry know are completely invalid as they should all apply to me too yet here I am. Besides Dumbledore didn't bring me here because I sent him a howler." Alicia rolled her eyes "And I'll be dammed it he did so to keep me out of everything as well." she said

"I'm gong to get the information and I'm going to find out what Voldemort's up to. Even if I have to do it myself."

"We'll help." the twins chorused.

"Knew you would." Alicia smirked

"But how are you going to tell Harry?" Hermione questioned

"We can't send owls of information," Ginny shrugged

"One because they could get intercepted…" Hermione said

"Two because I think mum might be checking them…" Ron muttered.

"I'm not planning on using an owl." Alicia assured and they looked at her confused. "I have a plan, it's just gonna take time. But don't worry, it's not dangerous or detrimental." she shrugged. At least she didn't think it was…

"So when do they have meetings?"

"Every now and then, Snape comes and reports something." Ron said and Alicia nodded

"We don't know what of though." Fred muttered and Alicia chuckled

"Oh you poor boys, how do you stand being so clueless?" she asked and everyone looked at her

"What do you mean?" the twins chorused

"You don't know do you?" Ron asked

"I don't know the details but I know what Snape's doing for Dumbledore."

"What?" Everyone asked

"He's infiltrating Voldemort's close circle." Alicia shrugged and everyone looked at her. She rolled her eyes. "Snape was once a Death Eater, something happened and Dumbledore gave him a second chance, in return Snape continues to work for Voldemort and gives Dumbledore the information as to what he's up to." Alicia shrugged "It started back before my parents were killed I think and now Snape's doing it again. When Harry and I asked why Dumbledore trusted him or what Snape had sacrificed, Dumbledore said it was a matter between the two of them." she shrugged.

"When did you find this out?" Hermione demanded

"Harry and I saw one of Dumbledore's memories. The same way I found out Moody was an imposter before I ended up in that graveyard." she sighed.

"But if Snape's pretending to be a Death Eater, how do we know he's not working the other way around?" Ron questioned

"Dumbledore must have some reason to trust him." Alicia shrugged "And for some reason I don't believe he'd do that." Alicia muttered

"Why?" the girl only shrugged.

"Well Alicia's hunches are rather good, it's enough for me." Hermione decided and Alicia grinned.

"What else happens?" Alicia wondered

"Well we've only seen Dumbledore once and that was when he told us not to tell Harry or you what was happening." Ron said

"I still can't believe no one told us you were coming."

"Well I think it was a last minute, on the spot decision." Alicia admitted "Dumbledore turned up at my orphanage told me a few things and then said I had to decide on the spot whether I wanted to come. Of course it only took me a second to realise I didn't actually have a choice. If I did Dumbledore wouldn't have told me anything."

"Why?" Ginny asked

"Because I'd go and tell Harry." Alicia shrugged "They had me packed and leaving so quickly that I didn't have time to even get to the front gate to leave the orphanage and tell him anything." she sighed

"So he doesn't even know you're gone?" Ron asked with wide eyes

"He will by now I expect, I think Dumbledore gave Ms Bane some crack pot lie to feed him so he wouldn't get suspicious." Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Will he believe that?" Fred asked

"Nope." Alicia smirked

"What did you do?" George grinned

"Well, just before I left, my two friends from the orphanage they…" Alicia paused "Well… they sort of… found out." she admitted

"Found out what?" Hermione asked looking suspicious

"About me… that I'm a witch." everyone looked at her shocked.

"It was bound to happen to be honest, I grew up with them, they are like me slightly." she rolled her eyes. "Since that happened I left a message with them to give Harry. I didn't tell them the name of the society incase someone was listening, I didn't know where I was going, so I got them to tell him Dumbledore took me to where you two are and that he refused to let us tell him, Harry, anything. That was the main importance." she shrugged

"So he knows we're all together and he's not…" Ron asked looking worried

"He already knew you two were."

"How?" Ginny asked

"We're not stupid your letters totally gave it away." Alicia admitted and the two looked guilty. "Anyway, if I have my way he'll either be here soon or he'll know everything I do and still be here soon." she smiled

"Cause you're gonna contact him?" George asked

"Exactly." Alicia nodded "Now go away, I need lots of rest in order to concentrate tomorrow."

"On what?" Ginny asked

"Expanding my mind. Oh and I refuse to help clean this house, this is more important."

"Mum wont allow that." Fred smirked

"You got anything that'll get me out of it? If it works or not I'll take it." she shrugged "You might need a different dummy." she smirked. "Besides if that's not an option I know what might make her leave me alone." Alicia smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Alicia tucked into her breakfast quietly as people came and went from around her. She hadn't seen Sirius yet that morning, nor the twins, Ginny, Ron or Hermione. All seemed to be sleeping. That was what she wanted, Mrs Weasley was cooking, Lupin, who was staying in the house with Sirius, was reading the daily prophet and Tonks, who'd been here before Alicia, was eating her breakfast as she stared off thinking about something.

"Alicia!" she looked up to see Mr Weasley walking in "I heard you arrived yesterday."

"Hello Mr Weasley, how are you?" Alicia wondered

"Good good, well you know, under the circumstances." he sighed and Alicia nodded in understanding.

"Would you like some more Alicia?" Mrs Weasley asked as Alicia finished her last mouthful.

"No." she said simply before getting up and leaving the kitchen. She could feel everyone's eyes on her but didn't turn.

Alicia made her way up the stairs slowly, actually taking a look of the surroundings around her. Up the stairs were a heap of sunken elf heads mounted on the walls. A few of the doorknobs looked like serpent heads and Alicia quickly got the impression that all of Sirius' family were Slytherins but him. They were probably on Voldemort's side as well.

 _Well there's a black sheep in every family._ Alicia muttered.

She moved to the second landing in which Harry and Ron were sharing a room, or would be she assumed when Harry arrived. There were three more doors beside this, one of which had a bathroom sign. Alicia assumed the girls were in one of the rooms and Lupin or the Weasley's parents would be in one.

She moved upstairs further were her room was, the twins were in one of the others and Alicia guessed one of which would be Sirius' mother's room. By the clicking of a beak she heard she guessed this was right as Buckbeak was in this room.

Alicia moved up the stairs some more to find the top of the building where two doors only stood. One read _Sirius_ and the other _Regulus Arcturus Black_ , though there was more to the sign.

 _Do not enter_

 _Without the Express Permission of_

And then the name was underneath. Alicia didn't know Sirius had a brother, at least she guessed that was who he was.

Alicia moved to Sirius' door and knocked, there was no noise from the other side so she opened the door. Sirius was snoring inside and Alicia chuckled. She contemplated for a second before she walked in and closed the door behind her. She'd never had a parent she could wake up in the morning without getting in a shit load of trouble before.

The room was rather handsome, more so than the bedrooms Alicia had seen. There was a large bed with a carved wooden headboard, a tall window obscured by long velvet curtains, and a chandelier with candles resting in its sockets, solid wax beginning to hang in frostlike drips.

She stood by the door quietly wondering of which way she wanted to do this most before she grinned, ran and jumped onto the bed. Sirius jumped awake after she'd hit him round the middle and seemed to automatically pull her arm to get her off as a reflex. Her back hit the floor and all she could do was laugh.

"Alicia?" Sirius questioned as she took a deep breath in

"Got ya." she managed to say before she laughed some more.

"Jeez." he grumbled as she poked her tongue out at him. "Just like your father." he grumbled but there was a grin on his face.

"Hey you want to sleep in, you suffer the consequences." she said before standing up with a grin. Sirius just groaned and rolled over.

"Don't make me pull those blankets off." she warned as she moved to the vanity. There were pictures and posters over the walls, something Alicia assumed had been there from when Sirius was a teenager. There was several Gryffindor banners, something Alicia was sure had Permanent Sticking Charms on them to annoy his Slytherin parents. There were quite a few pictures of muggle motorcycles and even some muggle girls in bikinis. Alicia couldn't help but smirk, the only reason she knew they were muggles was because the pictures didn't move. Amongst these were pictures of four Hogwarts students standing arm in arm and laughing, these pictures moved.

Alicia grinned as she noticed Harry's untidy black hair upon their father's head, a pair of glasses on his nose just like his son. Beside him was Sirius, carelessly handsome, his slightly arrogant face so much younger and happier than Alicia had yet to see. To Sirius's right stood Pettigrew, more than a head shorter, plump and watery-eyed, flushed with pleasure at his inclusion in this coolest of gangs, with the much-admired rebels that James and Sirius had been. On James's left was Lupin, even then a little shabby-looking, but he had the same air of delighted surprise at finding himself liked and included. Alicia chuckled as they all waved at her and she waved back.

"Those were the days." Sirius grinned from behind her.

"Let me guess, it's stuck to the wall as well?" she asked

"I wasn't allowing my mother to remove any of it, even if I was't coming back." Sirius smirked. Alicia sighed with a frown.

"That's unfortunate."

"Why?" Sirius wondered

"Because. I want it." she said simply and Sirius chuckled. "To bad there isn't…" Alicia grinned "Where are those twins?" she wondered

"Alicia?" Sirius stopped her as she moved to the door "What are you doing?"

"The gemini spell." Alicia grinned "I can't use magic but they can, so I'll just borrow one of their wands."

"You can't use magic," Sirius said "The ministry will know—"

"If magic was done in the vicinity, there are several of age wizards in this house and my wand isn't the one being used. Anyway, this place is probably too protected to give exact details, maybe just vague ones." she shrugged "Besides, if I can cause a little more trouble to Dumbledore, I'm taking that." but Sirius still didn't let her leave.

"Alicia,"

"I'm sorry are you going to save him from dealing with me and tell me what the Order is up to… or am I too childish like Mrs Weasley said? Can I not handle it?" Sirius looked at her annoyed for thinking he'd think this.

"You know I'll figure it all out anyway, whether it be in a month or a few weeks. I already know Snape's infiltrating the Death Eaters, that Hagrid's out persuading the giants, that Mr Weasley and the other Ministry employees in the Order are going to try and persuade and group other people to join us and believe Voldemort's back as Fudge is against it. I know about Percy and how Mr Weasley is suspected. I know Dumbledore's having Harry followed, I know you're being forced to stay in the house because Wormtail knows about your animal so Voldemort will know. I know Voldemort's laying low in order to maintain his secret uprising and that's why there's been no news, or at least I'm guessing thats the plan, but I also know that Voldemort wont sit around doing nothing, especially as Dumbledore knows, and that with Snape you'll know what he's up to." Alicia took a deep breath as she finished and had counted a few of the facts on her fingers as she spoke.

"What I do not know are the finer details, like what Snape will probably tell you all about what he's doing and about Voldemort's plans." she huffed.

Sirius looked at her surprised.

"I was there when Voldemort announced his plans and I was there when Dumbledore ordered you and Snape to your assignments." she rolled her eyes. "I am keeping a very fine ear out for any news because I know that you all will treat me like I'm six and can't handle it and therefore wont tell me anything."

"Which is why I've been trying to persuade Dumbledore to tell you and Harry at least." Alicia looked at her godfather surprised.

"Really?" she asked crossing her arms.

"You and Harry are the reason we know Voldemort's back and have been through a lot more hardship than most of us in the order." Alicia couldn't deny that "Besides, you're not going to sit around and you'll probably have the answers before us anyway." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Or, I wont get the answer and Harry and I will either end up in the hospital wing again, dead, or someone else will be instead." Alicia worried "I already bargained this case to Dumbledore and it didn't really change his mind." Alicia sighed

"Did you talk to him about Harry knowing?" Sirius asked

"Yes, and he disagreed, well he only told me about why Harry has to stay in Little Whinging but didn't have a legible reason as to why Harry isn't allowed to know. Or at least he wouldn't tell it to me." she grumbled annoyed

"Guess that explains why you're irritated with him." Sirius smirked

"You are too. He's keeping you cooped in this house." Sirius grimaced and looked around his room.

"Something I never thought would happen again."

"Was it terrible to live here then?"

"Well you've probably noticed how the house looks."

"Like it was inhabited by dark wizards." Alicia nodded. Sirius sighed

"My dear mother and father, both Slytherins, my brother as well. He went on to join Voldemort of course, got himself killed for it." Sirius sighed and Alicia looked at him slightly surprised. "My parents were all about their pure blood mania,"

"Not unlike the Malfoy's then." Alicia sighed

"Who I happen to be related to through marriage." Sirius admitted

"With so little pure bloods left that doesn't surprise me. I guess when you were put into Gryffindor your parents weren't very happy?"

"I hadn't liked it here even before then." Sirius confessed "Even Kreacher was terrible to me."

"Black sheep in every bunch." Alicia grinned. "Sort of surprising how much like Harry you are." Sirius raised an eyebrow "Within a family that hates you, always looking forward to going back to your real home and family within Hogwarts." Alicia listed "Great friends, slight fortune…" she grinned and Sirius chuckled.

"I guess that's a good point." he nodded.

"Besides, it's in the past now, you're the only Black left and Harry's here to carry on your legacy. Which might be needed if you get hurt or…" Alicia trailed off and Sirius placed a hand under her chin as she lowered her gaze.

"Don't you worry about me, alright. Let's just focus on stopping Voldemort."

"Sirius I've already lost both my parents, you can't help me for having a slight worry at loosing you, or Harry or any of the Weasley's as well." Sirius sighed

"I guess not." he agreed "Just like I worry of loosing you or Harry… it'd be like…"

"Like loosing Lily and James all over again…?" she wondered. Sirius sighed but nodded.

Alicia pursed her lips.

"Sirius, are you seriously going to keep me excluded from all this?"

"Alicia, there are only certain things you need to know."

"No there's not." Alicia said sternly, to Sirius' slight surprise. "Because everything Voldemort does leads somehow back to Harry who I refuse to leave alone and therefore it involves me as well." she explained "I may not have been the reason Voldemort came to our house but I was involved either way."

Sirius sighed.

"I still don't know why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry in the first place though?" Alicia admitted softly, looking at Sirius slightly hopeful.

"Unfortunately Alicia, that is something only Dumbledore can tell you." he admitted

"Why?"

"Because he's the only one who knows the full story."

"So basically I'm never gonna find out." Alicia huffed.

"Now come on, Dumbledore has his reasons." Sirius reminded her, but he had a scowl on his face.

"If you're going to say that to me at least believe they're good reasons or it doesn't make me feel any better." Sirius chuckled slightly.

"Come on, let's go have some breakfast."

"I've already had breakfast." Alicia smirked and Sirius raised an eyebrow before taking her hand and leading her down stairs anyway. Alicia just rolled her eyes with a groan.

Mrs Weasley handed her some baked beans, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, despite her protests earlier of being full. Alicia therefore sat chatting comfortably to Sirius as the Weasley boys, Ginny and Hermione finally emerged.

"I'm glad you lot finally decided to get up." Mrs Weasley sighed

"We're on holidays mum." Fred yawned

"Give us a break." George said. Alicia however raised an eyebrow at them and earned a wink when they caught her expression. Alicia highly doubted they'd been sleeping all morning, either that or they slept in from being up late last night. She knew without needing the explosions or constant whispering between the two.

"Right today, we're going to clean out the room Alicia's in." Mrs Weasley claimed. She paused

"You mean you haven't already?" Alicia questioned

"Well it took us about four days to clean the kitchen here, which was of utmost importance." Ron admitted

"Then we cleaned our room." Ginny said

"Our room." the twins added

"And mine." Ron shrugged

"Only because they were complaining." Mrs Weasley sighed

"Better that than getting bitten in the night." George muttered

"I didn't get bitten last night?" Alicia smirked slightly and the twins rolled their eyes.

"After that we move onto your father and my room, then Sirius' and Lupins. We can take the rest of the bedrooms in turn from there and then the dinning, drawing and lounge are last." Mrs Weasley decided. "Good knows what's been growing there though."

"I'll help clean my room out, but that's it." Alicia said strongly and Mrs Weasley looked surprised.

"I'm sorry dear?" she asked as the twins shared a look and Hermione looked worried. Sirius looked surprised also.

"I'll help," Alicia shrugged "As long as I'm not treated as a child and I can be included in the Order meetings." she said before spooning some toast, bacon and eggs into her mouth. Mrs Weasley's eyes widened and everyone turned to her to see her reaction.

"Otherwise I have homework and other more important matters to attend to, whether I'm locked in this house or not." Alicia concluded.

"If you have time to sit within the meetings you have time to help make this house liveable." Mrs Weasley scolded

"Mrs Weasley," Alicia's voice was still calm as she stood up with her empty plate "As much as I am thrilled for your care of me and my happiness and thankfulness for all the times you looked after Harry and me, you are not my mother and therefore I do not feel obliged to listen." Everyone looked surprised at her words, Mrs Weasley especially. "I do thank you for caring about me but I'm not a child and either I find out straight from you all, or I find out the hard way which I promise will probably put me in more danger than I've been in yet, considering Voldemort is heavily involved." Alicia had moved to the sink and was washing her dishes as silence rang in the room.

"That is my only purpose for being in this house honestly. If I'm being excluded and treated like a six year old who can't clean her own dishes or make her bed then I don't see how I'm able to participate in cleaning the house either." she turned to everyone's surprised faces.

"Thanks for breakfast Mrs Weasley." and Alicia left the room.

She paused up the stairs however to hear the room had exploded as the twins fought for their right to be a part of the order and Ron, Hermione and Ginny tried the same. She heard them all say they wanted to help and Mrs Weasley said, very sternly, that they could by helping clean up. This didn't help or make the others feel any better but Mrs Weasley's stern voice cut through everything and silence fell. Hermione was under her care after all and the rest were her children and therefore her decision.

Alicia wasn't going to let any of that be her downfall. As far as she was aware, Sirius was her caretaker here and he had said nothing except that within his room earlier, which had been before she'd opened her mouth as to her reason for being allowed to know. Perhaps she could persuade him… She was definitely going to try.

Alicia spent the day helping everyone clean out the weird little creatures and mould within her room which she hadn't noticed the day before. Mrs Weasley said she'd done the sheets when she learned Alicia was coming so she'd have something clean and safe to sleep in at least. The curtains, carpet, wardrobe, vanity and any other furniture however needed a serious clean. Things ran and put up a fight for them. Sirius found a few things in the draws and took them to throw them out and several things Alicia took back.

"They're junk." Sirius grumbled

"Only because you hate this house. Now considering I have no family heirlooms other than a map and a cloak, of which I share with Harry, I'm not letting you throw some of it out. It can go in my vault and stay there for eternity, as long as I can keep some things." she scolded to which Sirius rolled his eyes and muttered profanities under his breath.

"What do you mean a map?" Fred asked having been listening as Alicia put a goblet in her trunk along with some photographs and other random objects she'd store away for eternity.

Sirius and Alicia paused as well as Ron and Hermione. Mrs Weasley was at some Bundimun hiding behind the wardrobe in the corner. Alicia noticed she'd seen quite a bit of it through the house.

"Didn't we tell you?" Alicia asked and the twins shared a confused look as Alicia grinned. "Remember the Marauders Map?" she asked and they nodded "Well, Lupin, Sirius, Wormtail and my dad, James, are the ones who wrote it." Fred and George stared open mouthed at Sirius. "Fred and George are the ones who found the map in Filch's office. They gave it to Harry and I in our third year. The year you escaped in fact." Alicia explained to Sirius.

Sirius laughed.

"Why does that not surprise me."

Fred and George tried to question Sirius about it and how they made the map and all sorts of other questions until Mrs Weasley told them all to get to work again.

They didn't stop other than for lunch otherwise but by mid afternoon the room was clean and decontaminated.

"Well, I'd say that's a job well done." Mrs Weasley said wiping her brow.

"Well I say have fun with the rest of the house." Alicia muttered, earning scowls from the others as Sirius laughed. Mrs Weasley turned and left without a word of it. Everyone watched her go.

"I'm surprised she isn't making you help." Fred confessed

"It's because she knows of Alicia's stubbornness." Sirius admitted "She doesn't want Alicia involved anymore than the rest of you so she's putting up with Alicia's terms instead of giving in to them."

"It's a good thing she's not the one who's in charge of me then isn't it." Alicia said with a raised eyebrow and Sirius looked at her seriously.

"Alicia…"

"Don't 'Alicia' me, I'll beat it out of you if I have to but you will tell me everything." she said strongly

"And you'll tell us." Fred grinned

"That depends," Alicia shrugged

"On what?"

"How detrimental it is to your health, life and need to know basis." Alicia said and the twins looked at her irritated as Ginny and Ron snickered. Hermione however looked disapprovingly at her.

"Oh by the way," she said to Fred and George. "Can I borrow one of your wands?" she wondered and they raised an eyebrow

"Why?"

"There's a picture upstairs I want to duplicate." Alicia confessed "Someone," she gave Sirius a pointed look "Stuck it to the wall so I can't have it."

"Why do you need our wand?"

"Well so I don't need to use my own." Alicia said with a roll of her eyes. "Kind of cant remember."

"Alright,"

"On one condition,"

"I don't need to tell you anything you'll be listening in anyway." Alicia cut them off and the twins grinned.

* * *

Once Alicia's room was decontaminated everyone left to do another bedroom, Alicia however stayed. She shut the door behind everyone and waited to make sure they were all out of ear shot before she moved and sat at the end of one of the beds.

I have no idea what I'm doing… she thought "But I've got to try." she breathed before taking a deep breath.

She closed her eyes and remembered the times she'd had her ghost experiences. Every time, Harry had been in some distress or trouble. All but one Alicia had been asleep. Then there were the times she felt Harry's pain as her own, when he hurt his leg in the maze a few weeks ago, when Voldemort had tormented him with the Cruciatus Curse. She'd felt it as her own.

Dumbledore had said they were linked, in a way different from ordinary twins, their curse allowed them to have this connection. The mark left by both Voldemort and by their mother, Voldemort's mark being more visible, but their mother's having a more positive effect.

This didn't help Alicia decide how to access their bond. So far Harry hadn't been effected by it, at least, he hadn't as far as she was aware. Who knows, if it had happened to Harry since they left Hogwarts it would have had to happen the day she was picked up. That day, more than any she wished he was with her, wished to talk to him. She didn't want him left out of this, no matter what Dumbledore said.

Which is why we need to make this work… she reminded herself.

She shook her head, removing all the thoughts and concentrating on Harry. She had to start somewhere, she was working blind and this was her only idea.

She could picture her twin, the day they met, their first day in Diagon Alley, their first day on the train. All the times Alicia read their books to him before they even went to school, her fascination and Harry's interest in a different world exisiting, one they happened to be part of. She remembered when she first saw their parents in the Mirror of Erised. And then when Dumbledore explained it to them at the end of the year, or told them some things.

Alicia opened her eyes confused. Dumbledore hadn't told them very much… he'd explained that Voldemort couldn't kill them because their mother died to save them, but the old headmaster denied in telling them why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry in the first place. The question hadn't come up again, to be fair there hadn't been time to really think about it. But why had Voldemort wanted to kill Harry…? What could the darkest wizard of the age have gained by killing a baby…?

Alicia shook her head, she could think about it some other time. She was trying to contact Harry. She couldn't send an owl, well she could but it wouldn't do any good, so this was her only option.

She closed her eyes again and thought over her previous ghost experiences again. She remembered the feeling. She felt whole but something was missing. She hadn't been able to touch anything so a sense of weightlessness overcame her in that moment, despite being able to walk and having to swim properly through water. Her hands were transparent, she was see through, but she could touch Harry. She saw things from his point of view…

"Alicia!" Alicia jumped and looked up to see Ron standing before her. He was looking at her confused

"What?" she demanded annoyed and Ron shied away slightly

"Uh… Sirius wanted to have a word with you…" he confessed slowly.

Alicia huffed and stood up before leaving the room without a glance at Ron. She'd felt something, she'd been thinking deeply, she hadn't been alone that long why on earth was Sirius already bothering her?

Maybe he's agreed to tell you things… said a voice in her head.

After a few hours, yeah right. Alicia muttered.

Alicia headed down to the kitchen and then up to Sirius' mother's room when her Godfather wasn't there. She found him attending to Buckbeak, the hippogriff Sirius had escaped on just over a year ago.

"Alright," she shut the door and Sirius looked up at her "What on earth was so important you made Ron play errand boy?"

"I know you Alicia," Sirius began as he stroked Buckbeak's nose. "And you taking a stand and not participating in helping without something in return is not the only thing you're up to. You're not going to sit here and leave Harry in the dark."

"The man's a genius. But I'm pretty sure everyone knows that. I at least told the twins, Ginny, Ron and Hermione."

"But they don't all know what I know." Sirius raised an eyebrow and turned to her. "Alicia when was the last time you had one of your… ghost moments?"

"I don't know." Alicia shrugged "When Mr Crouch was killed." she didn't mention how she'd been feeling Harry's pain long after that. "Besides what does that matter?" she asked casually, trying to look confused "It's not like I know how it works?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at her and she just did the same.

"So you're not going to tell me whether you're going to use this new found free time to figure that out?" he asked

"Personally I have no idea where I'd even start. And so what if I did? Would you stop me? Are you seriously okay with Harry not knowing?" Alicia questioned

"No. I feel if anyone's going to be allowed any information it should be you and Harry." Sirius admitted

"But you don't feel brave enough to go against Dumbledore?" Alicia asked and Sirius looked at her annoyed.

"Look, I am going to try and send him any kind of message I can. I do not care what Dumbledore thinks, as he was unable to give me a proper reason for not telling Harry, I will not comply." Alicia said strongly.

"Alicia, just because Dumbledore doesn't tell us doesn't mean he isn't right or doesn't have a good reason." Sirius explained

"Yeah and he's keeping you locked in a house you hate to the depths of hell. You are unable to convince me of anything." Alicia admitted

"Now, I was busy and you interrupted me, so if you'll excuse me." Alicia turned and left before Sirius could try and convince her to listen to Dumbledore or get out of her whether she was planning on controlling the connection she had with Harry or not.

"Alicia, dear." Alicia sighed and looked down the staircase to see Mrs Weasley smiling up at her "I don't suppose you have a minute to give me a hand?" Alicia replied by walking down the rest of the stairs.

"You don't seem happy?" Fred had apparated next to her.

"I'd think irritated is a better word." the faint pop of George appearing sounded from her other side.

"It's really simple, people don't know how to leave me alone." Alicia said simply as she walked down to the kitchen. Mrs Weasley had a heap of plates and cutlery on the table.

"Could you set the table for me?"

Alicia did so without question. Mrs Weasley proceeded to make her help with dinner, in which Alicia didn't argue. As much as she'd rather be upstairs figuring herself out, she had to eat as well, so she couldn't back out of helping. Sirius didn't seem the type to blab to Mrs Weasley of all people about his hunches but that didn't mean the women wasn't suspicious as to Alicia's actions.

She helped serve the food out and everyone was called down. The entire Weasley family minus Percy and Charlie, plus Alicia, Hermione, Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley had dropped in, a small man by the name of Mundungus Fletcher made an appearance as well as the two that had helped Tonks pick Alicia up, Dedalus and Sturgis. It seemed like the kitchen was completely filled more than usual.

Alicia was engaged into several conversations. Mrs Weasley continued to push her to people, Alicia assumed this was to keep her from wondering off on her own.

"Alicia," Sirius was the one to drag her off to someone else this time, she was standing before Mundungus Fletcher. "Dung here is helping follow Harry."

"Oh yeah, he still stealing papers and trying to listen to the news?" Alicia wondered casually. Sirius raised an eyebrow as Mundungus sighed.

"I'll take that as a yes." Alicia smirked.

By the time Alicia lugged herself up the stairs she crashed onto her bed and stayed there.

"God." she breathed feeling tired and exhausted. "Mrs Weasley better not do this every day." Alicia muttered annoyed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"No!" Mrs Weasley said sternly. "You're too young. I will not have any of you involved." Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Alicia and the twins were sitting at breakfast. The twins had demanded Mrs Weasley tell them information of what the Order was working on, as well as be allowed within the meetings.

It'd been a week since Alicia had been with the Weasley's and Sirius. While everyone else had been cleaning the house, trying to make it liveable as they removed the mould and creatures living within the house, Alicia had been trying to communicate with Harry. Almost five letters had been intercepted, Mrs Weasley had turned up in Alicia's room with two to scold her about going against Dumbledore. Mrs Weasley hadn't spoken to Alicia much since the first day and everyone could tell she wasn't impressed with Alicia's actions or attitude but that didn't stop Alicia's stubbornness. She'd put up with it all, starting with making the same remark to Mrs Weasley as she had to Sirius about her beliefs of letting Harry know. She assumed the other three letters had also been intercepted since and words between the two were minimal. The only good thing was that Mrs Weasley had given up on keeping Alicia from her alone time. She believed these attempts to contact Harry were Alicia's only attempts, after all, how else could she contact him? There were no muggle communications in the house, as Sirius' family had been seriously anti-muggle during their lives.

It seems Alicia's letters to Anthony however were not interrupted, or Mrs Weasley saw a different name on the front and didn't bother, after all, Alicia was smart enough not to tell Anthony about the order and what was going on. He didn't need to know that kind of information.

"Come on mum! We want to help!" Ron exclaimed as they tried to convince Mrs Weasley to tell them something.

"You're much too young."

"We're of age!" the twins chorused

"And Alicia at least has been through everything!" Ginny piped up. "She helped Harry with everything." Alicia sat eating her breakfast. Mrs Weasley didn't know that the six of them had indeed been listening to a few of the meetings the Order had. Fred and George's extendable ears were brilliant in that respect.

"Personally I'm completely insulted." Alicia admitted "You think we're such babies that we can't even handle information." Mrs Weasley wasn't the only one to look surprised. "Just because you tell us things doesn't mean that we're going to be out there risking our necks." She put her cutlery down as she emptied her plate. "Personally, we're more vulnerable being kicked to the sidelines. After all, Knowledge is power right?" everyone watched her as she got up and left the room, a habit she had when making her point so she didn't need to then listen to the outburst her words created.

Naturally the twins tried to use this but Mrs Weasley was as stubborn as she had been all week. After all, this wasn't the first time this conversation arose.

Although Alicia had acted this way with Mrs Weasley, she'd been trying every angle to get Sirius to open up to her. She'd very nearly almost been successful, until Mrs Weasley had walked in and blown a gasket over the situation. Since then she's been keeping an eye on the innocent convict.

Alicia moved back to her room. She slumped onto her bed and sighed.

"Today, today I'll do it. No distractions." she walked over to her door which thankfully had a lock on it. Sure there were many people in this house who could unlock it but it would at least give her an extra minute or two. Alicia turned only to be hooted at by Noel, who was sitting on the desk with a letter around her leg. Alicia smiled and moved over to her to remove Anthony's letter. As Grimmauld Place was hidden in every way possible, Anthony's owl couldn't find it, so Noel had been running the deliveries when she wasn't being intercepted by Mrs Weasley.

 _Alicia,_

 _I'm glad Noel came, after all, our owl can't find were Dumbledore's taken you. I guess that's the point though?_

 _I'm surprised you finished all your homework, I thought that was a Ravenclaw thing._

 _My father's decided to take us on a trip to Germany for a few weeks in a few days so I'm not sure if Noel will be up to flying that far. I wouldn't push that far. I'll send you an owl before I leave and when I get home though._

 _Hope you're alright and I'll talk to you soon._

 _Anthony._

Alicia smiled with a nod before she grabbed a piece of parchment to write a reply.

 _Anthony,_

 _Wow! Germany! What's the wizarding community like other there? You must tell me all about it!_

 _Noel's flown quite a ways before, but you're right, Germany might be a little bit far…_

 _I look forward to your return! I'm guessing it'll be just before we go back to Hogwarts wont it? Have lots of fun!_

 _Alicia._

Alicia folded up the letter and attached it to Noel's leg before she gave the owl a treat. Noel took off when Alicia opened the window with a soft hoot.

Right, now, to concentrate. she nodded as she walked over to her bed. However no sooner had she sat down was there the usual pop and the twins sat on either side of her.

"You've got to be kidding me." Alicia ground her teeth irritated and stood up to look at their beaming faces. "What do you want?" they looked taken aback by her tone but recomposed themselves.

"They're having another meeting tonight." Fred said

"Mum let it slip while she was yelling at us just now."

"Great, have you got your ears ready?"

"Yeah it's all good. Hopefully we can hear something useful."

"Listening to them following Death Eaters and recruiting members is guessable." Alicia nodded in agreement. "Is that all?"

"Well we were wondering if you could try something for us?"

"Only if you fix it if it goes wrong." Alicia ordered and the two shared a look.

"We'll try." Fred held out a hand that had a sweet in it. One end was purple, the other orange.

"Eat the orange end." Alicia looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this one do?"

"Nose-bleed. Hopefully." George said.

"Right well if your mum asks you two were duelling and one of them hit me."

"That'll go down well."

"What ever." Alicia took a bite and swallowed. Within the minute her nose stung slightly and started to bleed.

"It worked!" George cheered and he and Fred shared a high-five. Alicia plugged her nose and put the other end in her mouth, she had blood over her top lip and Fred handed her some tissues. They waited for the purple end to take effect but it didn't.

"You're purple end needs work." Alicia said as she held the now bloody tissue to her nose. "One of you got your wands?" she asked and Fred pulled his out. Alicia pointed it at her nose

" _Finite_!" She removed the tissue but the blood didn't stop.

" _Reparo_!" still the blood didn't stop.

Alicia sighed in frustration and gave Fred his wand back before moving for the door which she unlocked and moved down the stairs. Unfortunately she was stopped by Kreacher, the house elf. He was a very weird elf, at least Alicia hadn't met any like him so far.

"More scum entered my Mistress's house, how ashamed she'd be with Kreacher for allowing them in. The sister to Harry Potter, he who stopped the Dark Lord. How they both escape Kreacher wonders…" Kreacher often spoke his thoughts out loud, clearly having been within the house alone for too long and convinced those around him couldn't hear his mutters.

"Sorry Kreacher," Alicia said and stepped aside. The elf stopped muttering to himself and looked at her surprised. She had stepped out of his way. Alicia was one of the only ones within the house who was somewhat polite to the elf. He was rude in his own way and although Alicia usually retaliated she had decided to ignore Kreacher's mumbles and just apologise for getting within his way, at least that way he moved on and didn't bother her.

Mrs Weasley was in hysterics when Alicia walked into the kitchen with her nose bleeding. The twins had followed her down and walked in as she was blaming them for having a stupid duelling club between them both. Mrs Weasley yelled hoarse until Alicia asked her to fix her nose and pointed out her bacon was burning. She was making lunch to the giant household's occupants.

"Sorry Dear." Mrs Weasley waved her wand and the blood stopped before she turned to her cooking food.

"Guess we still need to perfect the purple side." George sighed as he and Fred followed Alicia out.

"Why can't you just use the cure for what ever you put in the orange side?" Alicia asked "In fact why don't you make things that actually have a cure?"

"Because then it wouldn't get people out of class." Fred said simply

"Yes it would, teacher send the kids to madam Pomfrey, not deal with it themselves." Alicia pointed out.

"Where are you going?" George questioned as Alicia reached the second landing

"Back to my room?" Alicia said simply

"Why are you always hiding in your room?" Fred wondered

"I'm trying to do something, and you're constant intrusion isn't helping."

"You offered to help." Fred reminded her

"Not the point." Alicia mumbled as she moved to her door.

Alicia moved over to her desk, deciding that someone else would probably barge in again and decided to finish some more of her homework. She had finished most of it while waiting for news in Surrey but still had little touches that needed completing.

After about half an hour, she was finished. She put her quill down and stretched before relaxing into her chair. She could hear Mrs Weasley, her children and Hermione above her in another bedroom, cleaning it out.

Alicia closed her eyes and was contempt with listening to Mrs Weasley tell the twins off as usual, she could hear distantly, Buckbeak scratching at the floorboards in Sirius' mother's room. Lupin was home today and down in the kitchen somewhere, sounds that were too far away to hear from her room.

Alicia wondered what Harry was doing. She knew when she'd left Uncle Vernon had been suspicious as to why Harry wanted to listen to the news, had he forbidden Harry from listening now? If so, what was Harry doing to avoid getting shouted at? Alicia knew Harry would rather avoid it. And how was he now getting newspapers? She knew the Dursleys wouldn't let him touch theirs, Vernon liked his paper. And was Harry reading the Daily Prophet? Alicia assumed he was looking for signs of Voldemort, whether he'd look further when nothing appeared on the front page however was a different matter. If he didn't he wouldn't know that the Ministry was making him look like an attention seeking little boy.

She knew he'd be more than angry. She wondered if Portia and Alex had given him her message? Or were they unable to see him? Would Ms Bane be that thorough? Dumbledore certainly would. And if he hadn't seen them, then what had they told him? Where did Harry think Alicia was? Or what was wrong?

Alicia sighed. She could imagine Harry, lying on his bed in the dark nights alone, staring at the celling as he waited for some sort of sign of some news, waiting for Hermione and Ron to tell him something, waiting for Alicia to contact him, or Sirius to admit they were doing something. Maybe even waiting to get a letter from Dumbledore. The question was more of how long would Harry go before giving up on them all? He'd be furious with them when he found out everything. He'd be furious that they'd been together for practically the entire summer and hadn't told him anything. He'll be even more furious with Alicia, but she was trying. She'd spent the last week trying. It didn't help that she kept getting interrupted, no one seemed to understand she wanted to be alone other than Ron and Hermione. Ron only bugged her when someone told him too, though reluctantly and Hermione only bugged her for homework queries, most of which she'd finished now.

She could just imagine the look on Harry's face when he found out about all this. She would be chewed out the most if she couldn't contact him before hand. He might already be breaking things within his room, maybe there are punches in his chest of draws, or his books and papers have crinkles from where he'd clung to them too hard.

Alicia could picture herself in the room, telling him how she was just as frustrated and that she assumed no body decided to include them. If she was still in Surrey that is. So far, she'd gotten nothing while being here, leaving Harry was causing Alicia to become more and more guilty for doing so, something that would only go away if she could contact him.

 _I'm stupid. I shouldn't have come._

 _You didn't have a choice._

 _I want to be frustrated and angry with Harry rather than be cooped up here knowing nothing._ Despite the fact she hated the Dursley's she'd rather be with Harry in his room.

And then she was.

Alicia looked around surprised. She was standing in Harry's room at Little Whinging. It was currently empty, but she moved to the window and saw the Dursley's backyard, she'd learnt how to get into that garden without being spotted. In their third summer Alicia had snuck into Harry's room on their birthday. Speaking of which she'd have her's without him for the first time since they'd met. The first one since they'd turned eleven. She also needed to figure out what to get him…

Alicia moved to Harry's door and opened it, she understood Harry might not be here, he hated it.

 _But then how would you be there? You're connections with him._

 _And here he is protected above all other…_ she thought.

Moving down to the kitchen Alicia saw Aunt Petunia humming around as she made what looked like dinner. It wasn't that late was it?

From the sound of the house it seemed like no one else was home. Dudley was probably out beating someone up, Uncle Vernon would be at work and Harry would be avoiding the house most likely.

Alicia jumped up and down on the spot. If she'd fallen asleep at Grimmauld Place someone would wake her for dinner at least and if she was just sort of… zoned out then someone would bring her attention back to her mind. She didn't know how long she'd be here for.

Alicia quickly moved back up the stairs to Harry's room. She had to give some sign she'd been here. She moved to his desk were she saw a few daily Prophets and letters from Ron, Hermione and Sirius.

 _Seriously, I know I'm not keeping it all a secret like them but as if none of my letters have gotten through!_ she thought frustrated. She reached forwards, wanting to move all the papers and find some parchment, but the last time she'd tried to pick things up, she hadn't been able to touch them.

 _You've been able to touch Harry since…_ the logical voice in her mind said.

Alicia took a deep breath and reached for the papers. Her transparent fingers made some sort of contact and with a deep breath she moved them. The papers slid across the desk, however with quite a bit of effort on Alicia's part. She reached for a quill and her fingers went straight through them. Alicia grit her teeth, the frustration building fast as she tried to pick up the quill. Alicia bashed the table with her fist at the aggravation. She could move papers, though it was more work than it should be, why couldn't she just pick up a quill!?

She looked around the room, she had to do something! He had to know she was trying, that she hadn't abandoned him. She could wait as long as possible as he could hear her, but what if she didn't get the chance?

 _Think! Where would he go?_

 _That's a stupid question._ said the voice.

"Worth a shot." Alicia breathed. She moved through the door and down the stairs before coming to a halt at the front door, she raised her hand and it went through the wood before she moved straight out and began to run down Privet Drive.

Alicia reached the playground in which she and Harry had spent the majority of their holidays. Everything was yellow, dry, the sky clear of clouds and the sun beating down. She couldn't feel it but she guessed the heat was way above normal standards.

Alicia looked around and she spotted the unruly black hair sitting on the only unbroken swing.

"Harry!" she called and the boy looked up and then looked around confused. Alicia kneeled before him as he turned around in confusion. Alicia chuckled and Harry looked before him again.

"Yeah it's me." she said and she poked his arm a few times.

"Alicia!" he muttered

"Hi." she waved despite him not being able to see him. "Would've been here sooner but I appeared in your room which sort of was empty. I tried to leave you a message but I couldn't touch the bloody quill." she grumbled.

"What? But where… I mean…?"

"It's a long story. What's Ms Bane told you?" she wondered

"Everything. You're sick, you've gone on an excursion, you're busy…" Harry mumbled "Majority of it was you'd caught the flu and couldn't be seen."

"I thought they'd come up with a better lie than that." Alicia muttered

"What've you been doing? I thought for a while you were ignoring me like Hermione and Ron." Harry grumbled

"I'm not ignoring you. I'm the only one who's been bothering to try and include you!" Alicia admitted irritated. She crossed her arms on Harry's knees and rested her chin on her arm annoyed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a week ago Dumbledore came and saw me." Alicia admitted "He told me very little Voldemort wise but he had a few Aurors come and pick me up."

"What?!"

"Remember I sent him a howler, apparently he took me seriously… at least I think that's the reason. Who knows he might have a different one."

"Where did you go? What did he say? What's happening? Why haven't you sent me an owl!"

"I've sent you like five! Mrs Weasley's been stopping Noel and taking them."

"Mrs Weasley?"

"Hermione, Sirius, the Weasley's, they're all with me." Alicia confessed "And none of them want to tell you anything."

"Why?"

"Dumbledore for some stupid reason doesn't want you to know. But he's not thinking straight, of all the people who deserve to know you are definitely top on that list! So I've been trying to control this ghost thing in order to tell you because I knew Mrs Weasley would stop my letters."

"Tell me what? What are they doing? What's Voldemort up to? Why hasn't there been any news?"

"Harry you saw Fudge at the end of the tournament." Alicia sighed "He's steering the truth and Voldemort is clearly using that to his advantage and laying low. Unfortunately I do not know any details because Mrs Weasley thinks I'm six and wont let any of us in the meetings. We're trying our hardest to listen in but…" Alicia shook her head.

"Important info." she decided "Dumbledore has recruited people, death eaters are being followed. I'm not at the orphanage, I left a week ago. Mrs Weasley wont tell us anything. Dumbledore doesn't want you to know. Oh! Dumbledore has people following you!" she said quickly.

"What?" Harry questioned

"You're being followed by wizards! Dumbledore wont leave you alone and unprotected." Alicia looked around the playground "We're probably being watched now which is weird because you're talking to yourself seemingly." Alicia smirked and Harry rolled his eyes.

"But who are they?" Harry asked

"I'm not allowed in the meetings but I think you have Mundungus Fletcher definitely following you, he takes turns with, I'm not sure who." Alicia confessed

"I can't believe you didn't tell me you were leaving." Harry said and Alicia saw the anger building.

She snorted.

"I tried!" she snapped standing up and Harry looked around as Alicia's weight left his knees. "Dumbledore turned up, spoke to me, got me to pack my trunk, talked to Ms Bane and then left telling me there would be people picking me up. And when I went to leave Ms Bane wouldn't let me. Which I knew would happen! So I told Portia and Alex to get you a message, after all they found out about me being a witch — "

"What?"

"— but I guess Ms Bane stopped them from talking to you or you'd know I wasn't at the orphanage." Alicia sighed "I've spent the last week trying to get this ghost thing working in order to talk to you. No one can stop that kind of communication and it's the only one I had left after Noel. But Mrs Weasley was suspicious and was keeping me from my alone time so I couldn't concentrate, despite the fact that I wouldn't help her out around the house like everyone else. She gave up because she's not very happy with me at the moment."

"Why not?" Harry interrupted.

"I've been arguing with her about being told what the Order is up to. I've been working on Sirius more than anything else, after all technically he's my guardian not Mrs Weasley and I've been accusing her of treating me like a six year old…" Alicia took a deep breath. "I've been trying to get information in order to tell you about it. It's the only reason I left, other than the fact that I didn't have a choice, but if I stayed in Surrey we'd both be frustrated and clueless but if I left I could fill us both in, but they wont tell me anything!" she ground her teeth irritated and stopped her pacing which she'd subconsciously began.

"Harry, I'm really really sorry for leaving, and not being able to tell you anything, I have been trying. I have."

"More than Ron and Hermione at least." Harry nodded but the anger was still there.

"I know you're angry, I'm furious! I've spent a week trying to persuade everyone, I haven't seen Dumbledore since I left Surrey but, everyone believes what he's doing is for the best! Sirius is the only one who agrees you need to know the facts, and that you and I should be included in the Orders information sessions but he can't go against Dumbledore and no one else is agreeing with him." Alicia rambled

"Alicia, it's okay. At least you're trying, besides you're here now."

"Only for now. I'm not sure if I've zoned out or if I fell asleep but someone will wake me for dinner, or for the meeting that's happening tonight. The six of us have been trying to listen in on them and get some information but I don't know what's happening first, the meeting or dinner. So far the meetings have come first but it might be different this time. I don't know how much longer I've actually got." She looked at Harry "I promise I'll try and come back again and tell you anything we find out, I'm not really sure how I ended up coming this time." she smirked "I'm just glad I found you here. You could have been anywhere in Little Whinging."

"Well if you come at night then I'll definitely be at the Dursleys."

"I'll try. My concentration times keep getting interrupted." she grumbled.

"So where are you?" Harry asked "The Burrow?"

"Not even close." Alicia admitted "The place has the Fidelus Charm on it so I can't tell you where or the address, you know how the spell works." Alicia muttered. Harry grumbled under his breath and Alicia didn't blame him.

"So I can't even run away from this place cause I have no idea where to go."

"Pretty much." Alicia muttered

" _Alicia!_ " Alicia looked up around her, someone else had said her name.

"Uh oh,"

"What?"

"Someone's calling me…" she muttered

"What?" Harry repeated.

" _Alicia wake up!_ "

"I think I have to go now."

"No Alicia…"

"I'll be back as soon as I can, hopefully with something I can actually tell you about Voldemort. Be careful Harry."

Surrey vanished and Alicia sat up with a jolt as she looked around to see Ginny, the twins, Ron and Hermione around her. Hermione had been shaking her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked

"Yeah. Yeah I just… fell asleep." Hermione and Ron looked at one another and then at Alicia suspiciously.

"Is it time for dinner or…?" Alicia asked

"The meeting's started." George grinned as he held up the flesh coloured strings that were the extendable ears.

"Awesome." Alicia grinned and George distributed the strings among them before they were each filed out of the room and onto the landing. The six of them laid on the landing outside Alicia's open door and waited as they listened.

"You're on guard Duty tonight Arthur." Mrs Weasley's voice sounded.

"How is it Tonks?"

"Dark. Boring." there was a yawn "The usual."

"And the Death Eaters?" Lupin's voice sounded

"I haven't been noticed out of place yet." Tonks admitted

"They seem to be keeping clean and going about their normal duties." Kingsley added

"He's trying to make a full proof plan. Using the Ministry's unwillingness to acknowledge him to his advantage. Unfortunately for us his patients is our down fall." Snape's hissing voice interrupted.

"Yes but is he close to getting it?" Sirius asked, clearly irritating.

"Not as of yet. After all he cannot obtain it without getting it himself in person."

"Or, he'd use his manipulative tactics on— "

"What's that?" Mrs Weasley's voice cut in. All of them looked down the landing and saw one of the flesh coloured strings was just under the door.

"Thinks she saw it?" Alicia asked slowly

"Knowing our luck?" Ron muttered. The Six of them shared a look before pulling the strings up towards the landing as the door opened. Mrs Weasley clearly saw them all as they ducked out of sight and the twins took the Extendable Ears before all they heard was Mrs Weasley's shrill yelling voice and her footsteps sounded on the stairs.

Not two seconds later the shouts, screams and yells of Mrs Black's portrait began. Alicia had had the pleasure of personally meeting Mrs Black within her first two days here. She screamed whenever the doorbell sounded, which no matter how many times Mrs Weasley warned them, the Order continued to use.

" _Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers —_ "

"WHAT ON EARTH DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL DOING!?" Mrs Weasley was stomping up the stairs ignoring Mrs Black's screams, in fact Mrs Weasley seemed to be out screaming her as the twins grabbed all the strings and disapparated while Alicia, Hermione, Ron and Ginny ducked into her room as quickly and quietly as possible.

"FRED! GOERGE! YOU COME OUT HERE THIS INSTANT AND TELL ME WHAT THOSE STRINGS ARE! IF THEY'RE MORE OF THOSE INVENTIONS—" Mrs Weasley seemed too angry to get all her words out as she moved to the twins' room. Ron was closest to Alicia's now closed door as he listened. The twins appeared within the room with them and Exploding Snap was set up quicker than Alicia had known possible.

Mrs Weasley burst into the room just as the cards all spontaneously exploded.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING!?" Mrs Weasley roared

"We're playing snap?" Ginny said

"DO NOT PLAY DUMB WITH ME YOUNG LADY!" Mrs Weasley's eyes were turned on the twins. "I saw those… those string things. What are they and what where you doing!?" she demanded. The twins looked at one another clearly thinking of an excuse.

Alicia however stood up and everyone saw the hard cold look on her face, maybe even to match Mrs Weasley's. Ron and Hermione shared a very nervous look.

"What the hell do you think they were!?" Alicia demanded "We were listening to your meeting!" she admitted. Mrs Weasley looked at Alicia shocked "And this isn't the first one. Seeing as you think we are so dumb, so stupid, so incapable of being able to obtain knowledge." Now it was Alicia's turn to get so angry she couldn't get all her words out. "We are all within this house! We are all involved! And yet you keep us locked up here, acting as though nothing is wrong, as though we are five! We are more than cable of understanding the stand everyone is out there risking in order to keep the happiness and peace we have with one another! We want to help keep what we have, our friendships, our families, the people we care about!" Mrs Weasley's face was so shocked she couldn't seem to get a word out.

"You want to sit us on the sidelines than be prepared to accept the consequences when we find out exactly what's been happening because I refuse to sit to the side like some stupid precious china doll!" she snapped and Mrs Weasley flinched back. "I will not be left out because I am one of the reasons you even know Voldemort is back. I am one of those who's already had her parents stripped from her because of Voldemort and I will not sit around helpless as I wait for everything else I care about be taken away as well!"

Alicia fumed as she stopped and Mrs Weasley stared at her, everyone did. Mrs Black's screams from down stairs had stopped and the entire house was in dead silence. Mrs Weasley and Alicia just stared at each other. Everyone could see the fire behind Alicia's eyes as she stared determined.

Mrs Weasley's only response was to turn and leave the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Don't you think you took it a bit far?" Hermione whispered "She's only looking out for you."

"I feel like a bird trapped in a cage Hermione." Alicia admitted "She wont listen to me otherwise." Alicia followed Mrs Weasley out of the room and headed for were Buckbeak was staying in Sirius' mother's room.

She settled herself down beside the big bird after it bowed back to her and stroked it's feather tentatively.

"Well that was surely something." Sirius said as he entered the room. Alicia didn't even turn around.

"You've rather upset Molly." he confessed

"Maybe she'll understand how undermined and upset I feel then." Alicia mumbled "She's clearly worried for her family how does she think I feel? I know I can help and yet no one is letting me!" she turned to look at Sirius, tears biting at her eyes. "And even you wont tell me anything!"

"Because Harry needs to know as well."

"So tell me so I can tell him!" Alicia demanded "I know most of it already anyway!" Sirius sat on the floor beside Alicia. Alicia just absentmindedly stroked Buckbeak.

"Alicia she's only got your best interest at heart…"

"Not my best interests Sirius, my safety. I'm almost fifteen, like it's my birthday in two days." she confessed "I faced trolls and killer plants and a giant as chest board in my first year when I was only eleven. I helped fight a basilisk and a memory of Riddle when I was twelve. I think I can handle information as to what Voldemort's up to this time. After all," she frowned and lowered her gaze "It's partly my fault he's back. I helped let Wormtal get away, I didn't listen to my instincts which told me not to trust Moody and therefore practically let him turn the cup into a portkey…" she mumbled.

"So that's why you want to know… you feel responsible. You couldn't have stopped this."

"It's one of the reasons." Alicia said strongly "Voldemort also happened to kill my parents, Pettigrew kept you locked up for twelve years, I went eleven years without knowing I had a brother. If it wasn't for Voldemort I'd be living a life better than… anyones." she said "I'd be living it right. Witch since birth and known about it, spoiled on my birthdays, riding a play broom when I was three, had my mother plat my hair, my dad worry about his little girl, my non-related uncle," she gestured to Sirius "There everyday playing a magic trick or something for me every time he turned up." tears were rolling down her face now. "Harry and I fighting over toys, chasing one another around the house with mum and dad's wands as I know we'd end up doing. Mum being proud when I conquered magic before even starting at Hogwarts. The happiness and excitement when Harry and I got out letters. The proud looks on their faces when I got the top marks of my year and when I wanted to try out more subjects than wise, mum would warn me to really think about it first and not to just do it because Hermione asked me to…" she sobbed and Sirius placed his arms around her and held her to his chest.

"I want to stop others from not getting what I couldn't have. Stop it from being taken from them. I want to protect those who are close to me, I don't want to lose anyone again and… and now… Harry's not with me and that makes me feel guilty. I'm being pushed to the side like a worthless child. I feel so useless, locked in this house and unable to even provide my understanding. I know I can I be useful but…" Sirius stroked her hair

"I understand feeling useless." he admitted "And I understand the helplessness of being unable to do anything. I agree with telling Harry, he needs to know, but you can't feel guilty, it wasn't your decision."

"I have to live by it." she muttered. She sniffed and pulled away from Sirius, wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath to stop her sobs.

"Please Sirius, tell me something. Anything." she said "If Mrs Weasley doesn't want her children to know that's her choice but,"

Sirius smiled at her.

"What are you all guarding that Voldemort wants?" Sirius looked at her strongly "Yes we were listening. Something Voldemort wants, you're guarding it, he can't obtain it without doing so himself or using…" she recounted. Sirius sighed.

"What could be so important to risk going to get it?" she wondered as she thought. Where could Voldemort be at risk the most, if it was some random space he could just jinx whoever saw him? It wouldn't be at Hogwarts, or at least Voldemort wouldn't be stupid enough to infiltrate Hogwarts so soon after last year. Only last place he'd be hesitant to get into but had people on the inside to help would be…

"Voldemort isn't thinking of entering the Ministry himself for this thing is he…?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"He is?" Alicia asked surprised. "What could be so important?" The only reason worth risking that would be something very powerful… or something to give him the advantage… Voldemort was all about power but Dumbledore was still ahead of him… maybe he was after more power? But what could the Ministry have that could help with that.

 _Anything. It's the Ministry._

 _Unhelpful._

"Alicia, give it a rest."

"I'm going to figure this out Sirius. And I bet I'll know everything before even you lot do." Alicia got up and left the room as Sirius sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: 

Mrs Weasley didn't say a word to Alicia after that. Alicia even made her own breakfast the morning after, which was something she hadn't done in a very long time. She expected Mrs Weasley still would have cooked for her but Alicia refused to speak to the women either and therefore didn't ask.

Everyone else noticed the tension until two days later when Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the twins came bundling down the stairs quickly and practically flung themselves on Alicia.

"Happy Birthday!" they all chorused. Alicia laughed

"Morning to you all as well."

"Happy Birthday Alicia," Lupin greeted. Mr Weasley repeated the same words and glanced at Molly who was cooking up a storm. Eggs, Bacon, baked beans, pancakes, waffles, sausages. It was like she was celebrating Alicia's birthday breakfast without trying to be obvious.

The twins, Ron, Ginny and Hermione all placed gifts down on the table before her. Lupin added one, Mr Weasley passed his along with Tonks who'd made an appearance and gave her something as well.

She ended up with sweets, a bunch of random objects from Zonkos Joke Shop from the twins, yet another charms book from Lupin, and Tonks had given her a small Foe-Glass. Alicia had only ever seen one in the office of the fake Professor Moody last year.

"Wow Tonks!" Alicia grinned, the girl had shrugged.

"It's slightly handy. I should get you a sneakerscope as well, seeing as you always get into trouble with people close to you." Alicia laughed

"It's alright, Harry's got one."

Arthur's parcel was the usual hand knitted item, this time a scarf and matching beanie with an owl decorating the corners of the scarf and the front of the beanie. Some homemade toffee was wrapped up inside.

Alicia smiled and stood up. To everyone's surprise she went and hugged Mrs Weasley who'd been watching from the corner of her eye.

"Thanks." she said and she smiled and pulled away before Mrs Weasley could say or do anything.

Sirius came down the stairs next. He had a package in his hand.

"This is for you." he said handing it to her. Alicia raised an eyebrow and took it before removing the brown paper. Inside were two mirrors.

"They're two-way mirrors." Sirius explained "I have another pair in which James and I used to use." he grinned "You and Harry might make use of them over the summers." Alicia grinned and hugged Sirius.

"Thanks."

"Don't break it, they're rare." he warned and Alicia rolled her eyes.

"I'll make sure Dung doesn't get a hold of them." and Sirius chuckled.

"Breakfast Alicia?" Mr Weasley asked as Mrs Weasley decorated the table.

"Thanks." Alicia said glancing at the women as everyone sat around and ate.

The dinner for Alicia's birthday was just as spectacular. Despite her brooding silence Mrs Weasley had made all of Alicia's favourite foods as well as a cake big enough to feed them all. Most of the Order had turned up to celebrate other than Dumbledore. For the day it seemed as though any tension or disagreement between anyone was over. There was no upcoming war, there were no secrets, nothing to worry about. The only down side to the day was Harry wasn't here. Alicia had never spent her birthday with what was classified as her wizarding family. She'd had the orphanage, Harry and once, Hagrid. If Harry had been around, it would have literally been the best birthday she'd ever had.

* * *

Unfortunately by the next morning Mrs Weasley was back to snapping at everyone, her sons, Sirius, Ginny, Hermione, Lupin, especially Mundungus who turned up for lunch after having been watching Harry all day. It was clear that Mrs Weasley didn't like him at all, a bad influence she believed.

Mr Weasley, Tonks, Kingsley and a few others had all stayed the night and were off to work and secret Order business. Mrs Weasley's bad mood was being taken out on the rest of the house as all the bedrooms were to be decontaminated by the end of the day, a spare one at the top of the stairs somewhere being the last one.

Alicia ate her breakfast in silence, she didn't need to anger Mrs Weasley any more than she had as the women constantly sent her disappointed yet concerned looks. Alicia had tried to send another letter to Harry with Noel but the bird had returned within the hour, making Alicia believed Mrs Weasley was still watching her.

Alicia had spent the morning trying to recontact Harry again through their strange bond but as of yet nothing had happened. She was trying to discover how she'd made it work last time, after all Harry hadn't been doing anything to pull her there as he had every other time so she had to have triggered it.

"What are you doing?" Sirius had walked into Alicia's room to inform her that lunch was ready only to find her sitting on her bed rather looking like she was meditating.

"Shush, I'm trying to concentrate." she said without opening her eyes.

"On what?"

"What does it look like?"

"Like you're trying to will herself to float." Sirius admitted. Alicia opened her eyes and looked at him annoyed. She got of the bed and walked towards him.

"If you must know I'm trying to contact Harry." Sirius rose an eyebrow

"How is that helping?"

"We have a connection remember." Sirius looked at her seriously

"So you are trying to access your ghost mode."

"If that's what you want to call it…" Alicia said slowly, thinking that was a strange thing to call it.

"Alicia," Sirius prompted seriously

"Okay, yes I've been trying to make it work in my favour." Alicia confessed

"And…?"

"And it's only worked once." she admitted

"You spoke to Harry?" Sirius asked and Alicia nodded

"He's not happy by the way."

"I don't blame him. What did you tell him?"

"I'm at the same place as Hermione, Ron and you. Dumbledore doesn't want him to know anything. He's being followed. That I'm not actually allowed to know anything the Order is doing." Alicia listed.

"Not very much in other words."

"Does anyone else know about this?" Alicia scoffed

"Are you crazy? Of course not." she admitted. "I haven't been able to contact him since hearing your little meeting and my argument with Mrs Weasley though so… I can't remember how exactly I made it work."

"Well what were you doing?"

"Sitting in my chair at my desk thinking about Little Whinging. But I've done that and it's still not working so…" Alicia muttered irritated. "I'll get it." she said confidently. "At some stage."

She walked past her godfather and to the stairs. However she stopped before she got to far.

"By the way if you tell anyone I promise to set your hair on fire." Alicia threatened. Sirius chuckled and walked forwards to place a hand around her shoulders and guide her down the stairs.

"Yeah alright."

"Remember who my parents are? I will do it." she warned.

"I don't doubt that." Sirius sighed.

Alicia returned to her room and sat down to read her new book, she hadn't read more than a few pages since receiving it but decided her mind needed to relax before it would work on getting her to Harry again. She knew better than to overwhelm her mind or she possibly wouldn't be able to process things as well as usual.

"Mind if I join you?" Alicia looked up to see Hermione with a book.

"Not at all." Alicia shook her head. Hermione moved in and sat at Alicia's desk, bending over the giant book in her hand. Alicia was surprised she already had a book for the coming year, then again she assumed Hermione had found a moment to borrow it at the end of last year from the Library, she was such a regular visitor that Alicia doubted Madam Pince, the librarian, would refuse Hermione that.

Alicia lay on the bed while people came and went down stairs for the afternoon. Mundungus turned up for a bite to eat and angered Mrs Weasley again before he rushed off to guard Harry again. Lupin left with Mr Weasley around two in the afternoon for something that hadn't sounded up the stairs to Alicia's open door. She was lying on her bed only half concentrating on the pages before her and more listening to the constant commotion below. Hermione occasionally looked up to listen as well, turning her head to the open door but was otherwise in a completely different world with her head stuck within the book as usual.

There were a few bangs coming from the room the twins were staying in and Alicia assumed they were trying to perfect their Skiving Snack Boxes while Mrs Weasley was having a break from cleaning. Ginny and Ron were down in Ron's room playing exploding snap, or Alicia assumed it was this from the occasional random bangs coming from there, a sound she recognised unlike the ones coming from the twins' room. Their door was closed were as Ron and Ginny seemed to be doing the same as Hermione and Alicia and listening to those downstairs as well, hoping to overhear something, anything that could be interesting. While the four of them had given the Extendable ears a rest in order to stop them from getting destroyed or confiscated by Mrs Weasley the Twins had used them any chance they'd gotten since. Apparently they weren't hard to make for the twins to risk them so easily.

Alicia had her head leaning on her arms and the book propped up against the end of the bed as she absentmindedly swung her legs. The words weren't really going into her head.

"Think you're a big man carrying that thing, don't you?" Alicia yawned as the voice sounded somewhat familiar. She knew she'd never read the words in that voice, it sounded out of place and far away.

"What thing?" said another. It was Harry's voice.

"That — that thing you're hiding."

"Not as stupid as you look, are you, Dud?" Dud? As in Dudley? Alicia opened her eyes but she wasn't in her room anymore, her bed and book were gone and so was Hermione and the desk she was sitting at. She was in an alleyway. It was night, dark and clear. As she looked around she recognised the alleyway. She'd once seen a giant spectral dog down it. A dog that later turned out to be Sirius' Animagus shape. That was the first night she'd seen him.

Alicia was standing in the shortcut between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. She was in Little Whinging…

"But I s'pose if you were, you wouldn't be able to walk and talk at the same time…" Alicia turned to see Harry and Dudley walking away from her. Harry was teasing Dudley as he twirled his wand in his fingers.

"You're not allowed," Dudley said at once having stopped it. "I know you're not. You'd get expelled from that freak school you go to."

"How d'you know they haven't changed the rules, Big D?"

Alicia looked around as she walked towards the two, following. She hadn't even been trying to see Harry this time. And this time she'd appeared right by his side, unlike last time when she appeared in his room at Privet Drive.

There was an eery feeling in the air that gave Alicia a bad feeling. She wasn't really here yet the hairs on her arms were standing up on end.

"They haven't," said Dudley, though he didn't sound completely convinced. Harry laughed softly.

"You haven't got the guts to take me on without that thing, have you?" Dudley snarled. Alicia walked silently behind them as she looked around, trying to place the reason she was worried.

Maybe it was because she'd been drawn here again. Like all the other times Harry had been in some sort of trouble.

 _You need to get into trouble and see if it's a two way bond._

"Whereas you just need four mates behind you before you can beat up a ten-year-old. You know that boxing title you keep banging on about? How old was your opponent? Seven? Eight?"

"He was sixteen for your information," snarled Dudley, "and he was out cold for twenty minutes after I'd finished with him and he was twice as heavy as you. You just wait till I tell Dad you had that thing out —"

"Running to Daddy now, are you? Is his ickle boxing champ frightened of nasty Harry's wand?"

"Not this brave at night, are you?" sneered Dudley.

"This is night, Diddykins. That's what we call it when it goes all dark like this."

"I mean when you're in bed!" Dudley snarled.

He had stopped walking. Harry stopped too, staring at his cousin. Alicia had to suddenly jump around her giant cousin to stop from potentially crashing into him. Even if she just went through him she didn't need that sort of experience on her mind and Dudley might feel something. She didn't know how it worked for people other than Harry.

"What d'you mean, I'm not brave in bed?" said Harry, completely nonplussed. "What — am I supposed to be frightened of pillows or something?"

"I heard you last night," said Dudley breathlessly. "Talking in your sleep. Moaning."

"What d'you mean?" Harry said again.

Alicia was drawn away from her mind and confusion to look at the triumphant look on Dudley's face. She looked at Harry who although his face was plain, she could see the turmoil in his eyes. Had Harry been having nightmares still?

Dudley gave a harsh bark of laughter then adopted a high-pitched, whimpering voice.

"'Don't kill Cedric! Don't kill Cedric!' Who's Cedric — your boyfriend?"

Alicia narrowed her eyes at Dudley but turned to give Harry a sympathetic look, even if he couldn't see it.

"I — you're lying —" said Harry automatically. Dudley wasn't lying, Alicia knew this as how else would he know about Cedric?

" 'Dad! Help me, Dad! He's going to kill me, Dad! Boo-hoo!' "

"Shut up," said Harry quietly. "Shut up, Dudley, I'm warning you!"

" 'Come and help me, Dad! Mum, come and help me! He's killed Cedric! Dad, help me! He's going to —' Don't you point that thing at me !"

Dudley backed into the alley wall. Harry was pointing the wand directly at Dudley's heart.

"Don't ever talk about that again," Harry snarled. "D'you understand me?"

"Point that thing somewhere else!"

"I said, _do you understand me_?"

" _Point it somewhere else_!"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Harry!" Alicia shouted and Harry jumped before looking to where Alicia was standing. "Put it down! You can't afford to get into trouble." she warned. Dudley though couldn't hear her and was still going.

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM —"

Dudley gave an odd, shuddering gasp, as though he had been doused in icy water.

Alicia looked at her cousin surprised before even she felt the sudden change. Something had happened to the night. The star-strewn indigo sky was suddenly pitch-black and lightless — the stars, the moon, the misty street lamps at either end of the alley had vanished. The distant grumble of cars and the whisper of trees had gone. The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.

Alicia took a step closer to where Harry had been and felt for his hand. He clasped her tightly as Alicia looked around the alleyway. Could Harry have done magic?

Harry can't block out the stars and moon.

Something was very very wrong then.

Alicia could feel Harry moving as he turned his head this way and that, trying to see something, but the darkness pressed on his eyes like a weightless veil. Alicia was listening to the eery nothingness, hoping something was going to break through. Hopefully Mundungus who was supposed to be watching Harry would come and put a stop to this… even if he was a crook, Sirius said he owed Dumbledore so he'd save Harry, right?

Dudley's terrified voice broke in Harry's ear.

"W-what are you d-doing? St-stop it!"

"I'm not doing anything! Shut up and don't move!"

"I c-can't see! I've g-gone blind! I —"

"I said shut up!"

Harry stood stock-still, turning his sightless eyes left and right. The cold was so intense that he was shivering all over. Alicia felt his arm against her's, even she had goose bumps, the cold was biting at her transparent form.

"Harry, I shouldn't be able to feel this cold." she breathed "This isn't normal." What had the power to diminish the stars, take the light and warmth? Something that got rid of anything comforting…

Alicia froze. She knew of only one creature that brought the biting cold and darkness, snuffing out all that was comforting and warm.

"Harry…" Alicia whispered, listening for a sound that haunted her. "I know what it is." Harry squeezed her hand for reassurance. "You need to get out of here. You can't fight them off. You'll be in more trouble than it's worth…"

"I'll t-tell Dad!" Dudley whimpered. "W-where are you? What are you d-do — ?"

"Will you shut up?" Harry hissed, "I'm trying to lis —"

But he fell silent as Alicia froze. Both had heard just the thing they had been dreading.

There was something in the alleyway apart from themselves, something that was drawing long, hoarse, rattling breaths.

"Oh crap…" Alicia breathed, her breath shaking as she did so. She couldn't even see her breath it was that dark. Her hands before her were invisible to her own eyes.

"C-cut it out! Stop doing it! I'll h-hit you, I swear I will!"

"Dudley, shut —"

 _WHAM_!

Harry was suddenly wrenched from Alicia's grasp and she heard him hit the floor. She heard a clutter and knew Harry had dropped his wand.

"You moron, Dudley!" Harry yelled.

"Harry!" Alicia called.

"Alicia my wand!" he said

"I can't see any more than you can." but she got down and her fingers trailed the ground "Plus I can't touch anything."

Both stopped as they heard Dudley blundering away, hitting the alley fence, stumbling.

"DUDLEY, COME BACK! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT AT IT!"

There was a horrible squealing yell, and Dudley's footsteps stopped. At the same moment, Alicia's breath caught and she felt something behind her as a rattling rasp of intake of breath sounded behind her. A shiver ran down her spine like someone had tipped ice cold water down her back. There was more than one.

"DUDLEY, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! WHATEVER YOU DO, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT! Wand!" Harry muttered frantically, his hands flying over the ground like spiders. "Where's — wand — come on — _Lumos_!"

He said the spell automatically, desperate for light to help him in his search — and to his disbelieving relief, light flared inches from his right hand — the wand tip had ignited. Alicia saw it and saw Harry and moved straight to him grabbing his hand in hers. She could hear in the very back of her mind the usual screams and shouts. But they were faint, very far away as though her being in the alleyway was somehow effecting her at Grimmauld Place.

 _That must mean it's your soul that's in the alley._

Can my soul leave my body like that? Alicia questioned, she believed it was just her mind connecting to Harry's seeing mostly through his eyes, after all that was how it had started, with her being Harry.

Alicia and Harry both stared up before them. A towering, hooded figure was gliding smoothly toward them, hovering over the ground, no feet or face visible beneath its robes, sucking on the night as it came.

Stumbling backward as Alicia held onto her brother frantically. She felt completely useless, she wasn't here and couldn't do anything. This was like when he was in the lake and being attacked by Grindylows, or when she'd first seen him get stuck in the stair and his screaming golden egg had opened to alert the entire castle.

Harry raised his wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery wisp of vapour shot from the tip of the wand and the dementor slowed, but the spell hadn't worked properly; tripping over his feet, Harry retreated farther, Alicia walking backwards as she held his hand trying to think.

 _Where's Mundungus? He didn't leave Harry did he!?_

 _Knowing Harry's luck?_

"Harry, happy thoughts." she said, but trying to think what was happy after all that had happened this summer and over the last year proved troubling.

A pair of grey, slimy, scabbed hands slid from inside the dementor's robes, reaching for Harry. A rushing noise filled Harry's ears.

"Expecto Patronum!"

His voice sounded dim and distant… Another wisp of silver smoke, feebler than the last, drifted from the wand — he couldn't do it anymore, he couldn't work the spell —

"Harry," Alicia whispered "You're not alone. You can do it. Happiness!" she tried to encourage, her voice strong as she began to worry terribly for her brother.

Her fear worsened more than ever as the dementor's icy fingers were closing on his throat. She pulled on Harry's hand in hers to try and remove him from the dementor's clutches.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry suddenly bellowed.

An enormous silver stag erupted from the tip of Harry's wand; its antlers caught the dementor in the place where the heart should have been; it was thrown backward, weightless as darkness, and as the stag charged, the dementor swooped away, batlike and defeated.

Alicia felt all her breath rush back to her as she felt relieved, but then she remembered they weren't alone in the Alleyway.

"Harry! Dudley!" she remembered

"THIS WAY!" Harry shouted at the stag. Wheeling around, Alicia and Harry sprinted down the alleyway, holding the lit wand aloft. "DUDLEY? DUDLEY!"

Dudley was barely ten paces from them, curled on the ground, his arms clamped over his face; a second dementor was crouching low over him, gripping his wrists in its slimy hands, prizing them slowly, almost lovingly apart, lowering its hooded head toward Dudley's face as though about to kiss him…

"GET IT!" Harry bellowed, and with a rushing, roaring sound, the silver stag he had conjured came galloping back past him. The dementor's eyeless face was barely an inch from Dudley's when the silver antlers caught it; the thing was thrown up into the air and, like its fellow, it soared away and was absorbed into the darkness. The stag cantered to the end of the alleyway and dissolved into silver mist.

Moon, stars, and street lamps burst back into life. A warm breeze swept the alleyway. Trees rustled in neighbouring gardens and the mundane rumble of cars in Magnolia Crescent filled the air again. Alicia felt frozen. Harry stood quite still.

Dementors had been in Little Whinging. Surrey of all places. They'd attacked Harry. How could they even have come across him!? It was too coincidental. It didn't work. The only reason anything would be attacking Harry in Little Whinging would be if…

Alicia's eyes widened. Voldemort sent them!

Alicia sat bolt right up, she'd fallen onto the floor and off her bed were her new charms book was still sitting against the end of the bed frame. She was breathing fast, her fingers were cold as though the cold from the dementors had penetrated right through her ghostly appearance to her body.

"Alicia!" Hermione was leaning over her, the chair she'd been sitting in knocked to the floor where she'd stood up too abruptly. Footsteps sounded and Ginny and Ron appeared at the doorway, quickly followed by the twins.

"Alicia are you alright?" Ginny asked confused but Hermione was looking at her with a slight worried expression. Ron looked confused and the Twins shared an unsure look.

Alicia however completely ignored them all and scrambled to her feet, pushing her way past them all and down the stairs.

"Alicia! Come back!" Hermione said "You can't go down there! They're having another meeting!"

Alicia however ignored her. She didn't care if it was random and she didn't know they were having one. She didn't care if she interrupted. She didn't care if anyone had been listening in and not told her.

Alicia just ran straight to the kitchen and smashed open the door. Everyone inside looked confused at her, as well as stunned. No one spoke as they'd all abruptly stopped at the intrusion. Snape looked more than angry, it appeared he'd been the one talking at the present moment and Alicia had interrupted that. Mrs Weasley looked about to shout hoarse again at the girl who was hanging on the door knob panting slightly from running down three flights of stairs and was still waiting for the warmth to return to her fingers. Sirius and Lupin noticed her countenance and stood up worried, followed by Mr Weasley.

"Alicia…!" Mrs Weasley began

"Alicia what's wrong?" Sirius asked interrupting Mrs Weasley. Alicia got her breath back and the panic under control long enough to spit out the only words that were necessary in this fleeting instant.

"Harry's been attacked by dementors!" she bursted out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"Alicia what are you talking about?"

"The alleyway between Wisteria Walk and Magnolia Crescent, Harry and his cousin Dudley were just attacked by two dementors in Little Whinging. Harry barely escaped, he couldn't think of anything happy and then he produced the patronus and fought the two dementors away, saving Dudley and himself."

"And how can you know that so many miles away from Potter?" Snape asked with a cruel smile.

Alicia however ignored him and walked over to Sirius.

"Sirius I was there!" she looked at her shaking fingers "I can feel the cold in my fingers. They blocked out the stars and the street lamps and…" she worried before her eyes widened "Harry did illegal magic!" she worried

"Hang on, where was Mundungus?" Lupin wondered

"I don't know! He never showed!" Alicia wondered

"Would anyone like the explain what's going on? Alicia how do you know this?" Mrs Weasley demanded

"Harry and I have a connection, it's weird and hard to explain but I'm not making this up!" she said strongly, looking at Sirius and Lupin pleadingly.

"Someone has to tell Dumbledore—" Alicia was cut off by the doorbell and Mrs Blacks screams. Mrs Weasley rushed off, the screams were cut off and voices sounded from the front door before Mrs Weasley exploded.

"YOU DID WHAT!?" She screamed "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING HIM! YOU AND YOUR CRACK POT ILLEGAL TRADE! YOU GO AND TELL DUMBLEDORE THIS INSTANT BEFORE I TURN YOU INTO A FRYING DISH!" there was a crack and Mrs Black's screams were trying to be hushed again by Mrs Weasley before she came bustling back to the kitchen.

"Alicia's right. That was Mundungus." she explained, she was white and looked terribly worried.

"Harry was attacked by dementors not minutes ago. Arabella Figg sent Mundungus to tell Dumbledore, seeing as we're having a meeting he came here first."

"Arabella…" Alicia began "You mean Mrs Figg? That cat lady that's been looking after Harry his while life!?" she demanded. How could she have not made the connection earlier?

"She's a squibb Alicia." Sirius said softly.

"Why wasn't Dung watching Harry?"

"He had a so called business deal with some cauldrons and decided it was more important then Harry's life!" Mrs Weasley raged.

Everyone began to talk amongst themselves suddenly. None of them caring Alicia was there, Sirius with his arm around her comfortingly. The warmth was finally coming back to her fingers.

The fireplace suddenly turned emerald green and Mr Weasley walked out.

"Harry used illegal magic." he informed

"Yes we know Arthur." Mrs Weasley had taken to washing already clean dishes in her nerves.

"What's the Ministry doing?"

"They've sent a letter of expulsion to Harry's house." Mr Weasley admitted

"What?!" Alicia shouted "They can't expel him it was self defence!" she raged. Mr Weasley looked at her for a second, noticing she was amongst the meeting members before he continued

"Dumbledore's just arrived he's trying to mellow it over. He's not impressed." he informed "I'll be back with news." and he stepped back into the green flames after throwing in some floo powder before vanishing.

"Someone needs to talk to Harry." Alicia said

"We're under orders…" Tonks began.

"If Harry think's he's been expelled what's to stop him from doing more magic or leaving his aunt and uncle?!" Alicia said above the sudden mutters she'd brought.

Sirius moved from Alicia and grabbed a piece of parchment.

It was another half an hour before anyone heard anything. Alicia hadn't left the kitchen but was pacing at one end. She'd long noticed the extendable ear at the doorway which had eventually been closed. Apparently no one was against Alicia's presence currently as they talked over the current developments. Alicia had stood near the door for a bit after she'd spotted the ear and repeated what had happened so that everyone upstairs would know. It was easier than telling them later on.

Not long after, Mr Weasley reappeared. He sank into a chair and whipped his bald head.

"Arthur what's happening?" Mrs Weasley asked quickly.

"Dumbledore's managed to persuade the Ministry to postpone Harry's expulsion until his hearing on the twelfth of August. He's been suspended until then."

"A hearing!?" Alicia asked.

"They'll decide whether he's going to be expelled and his wand broken then." Mr Weasley explained "I've informed Harry and told him to stay and not do any more magic." Arthur admitted.

"Lucky you were on duty tonight Arthur." Lupin said, giving Alicia a glance. She'd stopped pacing but didn't look any more relaxed.

"How is Harry to get to this hearing?" Tonks wondered.

There was a whoosh of green flames and suddenly Dumbledore was walking into the room. He looked as he had at the end of last year when he'd discovered Mad-Eye Moody was an imposter. His eyes were blazing and his normal smile was currently a living memory.

Despite the look of pure anger on Dumbledore's face, Alicia narrowed her eyes at him. What was he going to do now? Alicia didn't believe he could leave Harry out of it all anymore.

"We need to make arrangements to bring Harry here." he decided, his voice was deadly calm and no one dared to say anything to interrupt him. "I've calmed the ministry to an extent but he's not safe anymore. Besides, Arabella has given her cover away, Harry knows Mundungus has been following him." the way he said Mundungus' name made a shiver go around the room as though Voldemort's name had been said.

Alicia scoffed. Yeah because I told him. she was leaning on the wall listening carefully.

"How are we going to get Harry here safely?" Tonk questioned

"A band of you will need to go. He needs to be transported here through means that cannot be traced." Dumbledore explained

"That excludes flow powder, apparation… the easiest ways." Mrs Weasley sighed.

"What about brooms?" Alicia asked and everyone looked at her "Fast, effective, Harry's a good flier and if enough go you can protect him." she didn't care she'd interrupted, her anger at Dumbledore caused any fear at Dumbledore's expression to be locked away in the corner of her mind.

"Flying might be a smart idea." Tonks thought nodding.

"We'll need Alastor to go, and Kingsley…" Dumbledore muttered

"I'll go too." Tonks offered "Another Auror can't help." she smiled

"Remus, I'd like you to accompany them…" Dumbledore decided and Lupin nodded.

"We'll organise a time and safety measures." Lupin decided.

"It needs to be soon though. So we can prepare for the hearing."

"He'll also need informing of a few things." Sirius warned "Like Alicia he wont sit on the sidelines." Dumbledore nodded, only just glancing at Alicia.

"He's not to know more than he needs to know though." Dumbledore's voice was strong clear and authoritative and Alicia narrowed her eyes annoyed.

"We'll get right on it." Lupin nodded looking at everyone who agreed.

Alicia left it at that. After receiving a look from Mrs Weasley, in which she didn't want to start yet another disagreement, she agreed to leave the busy, crowded kitchen.

As she left the majority of the extendable ears were taken up as well.

"What happened!?" everyone questioned the second she reached the third landing.

"I told you."

"What are they doing?"

"You heard?" Alicia reminded them

"They're really bringing Harry here?" Hermione asked

"Yeah so get ready for a hurricane, he's going to kill us all." Alicia muttered.

"But Alicia…" Hermione began "How did you know?" she asked. Alicia looked around as the five behind her as they walked up the stairs. All of them looked at her expectantly. Alicia pursed her lips and lowered her gaze as she took a breath, taking the last few steps.

"I saw it." she confessed. The five glanced at each other behind her

"Saw what?" Hermione questioned

"Harry get attacked." Alicia said as she moved into her room.

"What?" the twins questioned

"How?" Ginny asked. Alicia sat on her bed and thought.

"Harry and I have this weird connection that's deeper than just twins. It comes from the curse Voldemort cast that day." she said "Last year the connection deepened. When ever Harry's in some sort of trouble, I… sort of materialise beside him." they looked at her weird.

"I have these ghost moments." she said "When Harry was at the bottom of the lake last year, I was conscious and with him. I looked at my own body." she said "When he was in the maze I felt his pain when he got stabbed in the leg. When Mr Crouch was found in the forest, I was there too." she said looking at Hermione and Ron who shared a look, remembering and looking at the girl surprised. "My body's all transparent, I can't touch anything, no one can see me and only Harry can hear me." she said "I'm not sure how exactly it works, I've been trying to tap into it and make it work for the last two and a bit weeks."

"That's weird." the twins chorused.

"I know." Alicia nodded with a sigh.

"That's why you've been so alone." Ginny muttered and Alicia nodded.

"I refuse to leave Harry in the dark."

"So you've told him."

"I told him some things, but not what we've found out. You guys woke me up to listen in on the last meeting." she muttered and they all looked at her. "Yeah I did it then too."

"Does it only work when you're asleep?" Fred asked

"I passed out at one stage because of it, I'm not sure if I was asleep this evening." Alicia said with a sigh.

"So are they bringing Harry here? For real?" Hermione asked again and Alicia gave her an annoyed look.

"That's what they're working on." Alicia said slowly.

"What do we do when he gets here?" Hermione muttered

"Hide?" Alicia shrugged "He's going to be more angry than I've ever seen him." Hermione and Ron shared a worried look.

"How are they getting him here?" Ginny asked

"I suggested by broomstick. They don't want him traced and they need to protect him. Cover of night, several Aurors. Sounds alright that way."

"Isn't that vulnerable?"

"I doubt there are going to be Death Eaters flying over the most protected place for Harry. Besides how will they know he's leaving?" Alicia wondered

"Snape might blab?"

"Under Dumbledore's nose?" Hermione questioned "Unlikely."

"You trust him too much." Ron grumbled

"We don't like him, but clearly he did something for Dumbledore to enlist him into such secrets." Alicia cut the fight before it could begin between the two.

Noises within the hallway sounded and everyone moved from Alicia's room and to the landing, lying on the floor and glancing through the railings down below.

Dumbledore looked like he was on a rampage, a weird sight for someone who was always so calm and collected. He looked furious as he spoke to Sirius and Lupin. Mundungus was standing in a corner fidgeting. His eyes went to Dumbledore and then moved away before glancing at the headmaster again. Dumbledore hardly acknowledged the small crook as he turned to Mr and Mrs Weasley, talking to them swiftly.

"I've never see Dumbledore look so angry." Hermione whispered as Dumbledore took a deep breath and turned to Mundungus, his eyes hard and his mouth tight as he got out the words he needed and then dismissed Mundungus with a careless wave of his hand. The small man ran from the house.

"I have." Alicia muttered "When he found out about Barty Crouch Junior. That was frightening." she confessed "I can't believe it took a dementor attack for him to visit this place though." Alicia grumbled and everyone looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Think about it, if this hadn't happened Harry would probably have been stuck at Privet Drive all bloody summer!" she grumbled

"He's going to be so angry! I'm surprised he didn't do something before now! Run away, send a howler like Alicia…" Hermione worried

"He thought about strapping his trunk to his broom and flying away." Alicia admitted with a shrug "When I told him we weren't at the Burrow though he realised that was useless. He wouldn't be able to find us, what with the Fidelus charm." she sighed.

"And that's exactly what I've been warning everyone about! Locking him up will cause him to do stupid things!" Hermione worried

"Well he'll be here in a few days so we only need to worry about his anger." Alicia breathed.

Those in the hall below them began to lessen and soon Dumbledore was gone and the hall was empty.

The six got up and Alicia moved to sit on her bed. Hermione began to pace her room and Ron leaned on the door frame as Ginny sat beside Alicia.

"Are you alright?" she wondered

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm just really hopeless in these… ghost states and it angers me. Bloody frustrating." she grumbled annoyed. Ginny nodded understanding as she looked at the twins who were walking in.

"Sounds like having brothers." Alicia smirked and let out a small chuckle before all of them fell silent to a sudden rapt on the window causing all of them to turn to see the flash of white.

"Hedwig." Alicia muttered and moved to the window. She let the owl in and she stopped between Hermione and Ron. Hedwig stuck out her leg and they all noticed three letters.

"Hermione, Ron and Sirius." Alicia guessed. Ron and Hermione removed their letters and Hedwig then soared off through the open door and down the stairs.

"I've just been attacked by dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here." Hermione and Ron both read.

"They're the same." Ginny said looking over their shoulders one at a time.

Hedwig suddenly soared up the stairs again and sat beside Ron. Then to everyone's surprised she started pecking his hands.

"Oi! Hey! Hedwig!" he complained. The owl didn't stop though. She moved to Hermione and began to do the same.

"Hedwig! Stop! Ow!" Hedwig bit and scratched the two before blood covered Ron's hand from a nasty cut on his index finger.

"Hey, Hedwig." Alicia got up and caught the bird who settled on her shoulder and hooted angrily at the two.

"What's gotten into her?" Ginny questioned, restraining herself from stroking the owl.

"Ten Galleons Harry told her to bring back proper replies, the biting and scratching are to make you reply properly, not send tantalising hints." Alicia said calming Hedwig who's eyes were set hard on the two. Their hands were badly bitten and scratched.

"It's alright Hedwig, Harry's going to be here soon. You can stay and wait and then he'll have every answer we can give him." Hedwig nibbled Alicia's ear as she stroked her feathers before she soared to the dresser were Noel's cage lay, still empty as the owl hadn't returned with Anthony's reply as of yet. Hedwig helped herself to some of Noel's food and water and didn't move from the dresser.

"He's willing to go to such lengths?" Hermione muttered looking at her hands and wincing.

"Yeah imagine what'll happen when he's here in person." Ginny muttered. The twins naturally shared a grin.

"We just need to find out what day he's getting here now." Ron shrugged, sucking on his bleeding finger.

"And prepare ourselves to the outburst we'll receive." Alicia nodded

"Think mum'll tell us?" Ginny wondered

"It's not secret order business." Fred said

"There isn't a reason to keep this from us." George agreed

"They'll tell me." Alicia said strongly "At least Sirius will. After all, he's my brother."

"You'll tell us?" Hermione wondered

"Of course, what's the point of keeping that a secret?" Alicia wondered.

"Blimey, a lot's happened in the last couple of hours." Ron sighed

"Tell me about it." Alicia muttered crawling to lay down amongst her pillows. "I'm exhausted."

"I guess out of body experiences do that." Ginny chuckled. Alicia raised her leg and kicked the girl off her bed, causing Ginny to groan in protest and everyone else to chuckle.

* * *

There was a slight tension at breakfast the next morning. Mrs Weasley continued to look at Alicia as she sat and ate some toast, chewing slowly and staring at the wall ahead of her. She ignored the ginger haired women, knowing she was curious as to how Alicia knew what had happened yesterday but said nothing. She didn't need to explain, Dumbledore knew, Sirius knew, Hermione and Ron knew, and Harry knew. From her perspective that was good enough for now. As an add on, Ginny and the twins knew too.

Alicia wondered if maybe a part of her was keeping it from Mrs Weasley as pay back for Mrs Weasley keeping so many things from her, after all if Mrs Weasley found out she'd probably throw a fit, out of body experiences weren't normal after all. This was for Mrs Weasley's own good, the same thing the women believed about telling Alicia anything about the Order.

Sirius walked into the room with the newspaper within his hand. Mrs Weasley gave hm a cup of coffee and went back to the large pot of scrabbled eggs she was whipping up.

"Sirius," Alicia began not glancing at him. He hummed in response. "When's Harry getting here?" her voice was rather calm and carefree but everyone looked at her. "Dumbledore said he had to come, when's it happening?"

Lupin had entered the room and smiled at Alicia.

"We're making the preparations as we speak. Hopefully we'll have Harry here in no more than three days." Alicia nodded, three or four days she could handle, but could Harry?

"Hope you're all ready to answer some questions then, he's going to be pissed." Alicia admitted, Sirius smirked and Lupin sighed, nudging him.

"I'll need to change the sheets on the bed in Ron's room for Harry." Mrs Weasley said, more to herself then anyone else

"Didn't you clean that room?" Alicia wondered

"Well… just in case dear. Who knows if anything's gotten in here again." she muttered, sounding rather tired and bored of the ever growing mould and creatures they'd exterminated and chased from the house.

Alicia nodded before finishing her breakfast, she glanced at Sirius who winked at her. She knew he was excited to see Harry.

"So… what's happening with the hearing…?" she wondered and everyone paused again. "Like… how will it work?"

"The ministry officials will take a statement from Harry, use the information they have and then make a verdict." Lupin explained

"Is there any kind of evidence in the defendants case?" Alicia wondered "I mean the ministry's completely against Harry we must have something good that'll get him off right? He can't, not go to Hogwarts!"

"Dumbledore will make sure he gets off." Mrs Weasley assured her, though she looked a little worried herself.

"Dumbledore's had Arabella Figg and Mundungus following Harry all summer." Sirius assured

"Mundungus wasn't there." Alicia reminded him

"But Arabella was. She's been watching Harry since he was a child." Sirius reminded her

"And did she see anything?"

"She knows exactly what happened." Lupin smiled

"So as long as she testifies as a witness, Harry's safe?" Alicia asked and everyone nodded

"Besides's Dumbledore will make sure he's alright." Mr Weasley said

Alicia took a deep breath and nodded.

"Don't worry Alicia. You wont be going to Hogwarts without him." Sirius placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort but Alicia saw something else within his expression, almost like disappointment.

"Which is a good thing, for Harry I mean." she said and he smiled, but the somewhat hopeful look that Harry wouldn't get off didn't leave. Alicia gave him a disbelieved expression before Lupin cleared his throat to stop her commenting.

Alicia settled for looking disappointed and decided to wait till later to confront him, hopefully before Harry arrived.

"By the way… I know it probably wont happen." she began again, slowly "But what happens if he does lose…" she muttered.

No one answered.

"Dumbledore wouldn't seriously send him to the Dursley's for the rest of… well forever, would he?" Sirius scowled at the thought.

"Hopefully, we won't have to find out." Mrs Weasley sighed.

* * *

Alicia sat in Ginny and Hermione's room reading a book while Hermione paced, worrying about Harry and Ginny did some homework. Hermione's hands were red and raw from Hedwig, the deeper cuts were bandaged and no longer bleeding but they were a while from healing as of yet. Mrs Weasley had suggested she try a healing charm on them but both Hermione and Ron didn't see it necessary. Hedwig meanwhile was in Alicia's room two floors up with Noel. Everyone had agreed that was best for she was less likely to attack Alicia. The owl however was no where near calm, she was frantic. She was cooped up in the house with no way out and therefore unable to complete her task of bringing back worthy letters to Harry. It seemed Alicia's best efforts to tell Hedwig Harry would be here soon were no help, her calmest moment had been when she'd greeted Noel last night.

"Hermione…" Ginny asked the girl for help on her homework. Hermione being the good witch she was never gave the answer but gave hints to try and prompt Ginny to discover it for herself. Occasionally Ginny grumbled at this to which Alicia gave a much easier hint or explanation and the girl got it. She was rather smart for a fourteen year old.

"So were you." Ginny reminded her with a grin when Alicia commented on this.

"Fourteen wasn't really my favourite year though." Alicia remembered and Ginny frowned slightly before she rolled her eyes to brush the topic away.

"So, are you sure about not contacting Harry?" Hermione muttered suddenly she looked at Alicia.

"There's no point. Besides, you can't tell him he's being picked up or they'll be in a hell of a lot of trouble if it's intercepted." Alicia explained "That's what Dumbledore wants."

"And since when are you okay with what he wants?" Ginny asked absentmindedly

"Since Harry's going to be here in three days." Alicia answered

"You could always tell him." Hermione offered "With you're thing,"

"That I don't know how to control." Alicia added on

"Could you please try?" Hermione stopped her pacing to look desperately at Alicia.

She sighed.

"How could I not with that expression?" she muttered and closed her book. Ginny paused and turned to her as well.

Alicia laid on the bed and closed her eyes.

"Just no one make a sound." she muttered as she took a deep breath and tried once again to access her connection to Harry. "And don't be disappointed when this doesn't work." she added.

"Just try." Hermione snapped.

Alicia raised an eyebrow in response but kept her eyes closed. She kept her mind clear and focused on Harry, tried to repeat what had happened the first time. She had thought about his room, about being in it, remembered the nooks and crannies, Hedwig's cage, the desk covered in papers.

Alicia opened an eye but was staring at the celling of the two girls' room at Grimmauld Place.

"Not working." she said. Hermione huffed

"There's got to be something." she muttered. She started to run her fingers through her ever bushy hair and remember a solution she might have read over.

Alicia just closed her eyes again, listening to Hermione's mutters as she relaxed and waited for her to hit a resolution.

And then Hermione's voice faded away into the background. She could still hear her mutters and Ginny adding in comments but it was like there was a window between the two, a glass wall muffling everything. Alicia could feel something, a small opening type feeling on her mind. She reached for it and suddenly Harry popped into her mind.

Before she knew it she was standing in the Dursley's house, within Harry's own room. But it was not as it had been last time, the door was closed, Hedwig's cage was empty, but more importantly, Harry was pacing back and forth. Books lay open on his floor, his trunk was a mess, clothes littered the floor with the books, Hedwig's cage was in need of a cleaning.

"Could you have made any more of a mess?" Alicia questioned and Harry suddenly stumbled to a stop before he turned around to stare at her.

This shocked Alicia more than anything, the fact that he looked straight at her. He'd never been able to see her before.

"Alicia!" He walked towards her and Alicia took a slight step back in surprised

"Hang on, can you see me?" she demanded. Harry nodded.

"Wh— but— I mean…" Alicia couldn't think of what to say.

"Doesn't matter." Harry decided shaking his head "What's going on?!" he demanded "Mr Weasley and Sirius only told me to stay and not to do any more magic!"

"Yeah I know." Alicia sighed "I told Sirius to send you a letter, guessed you'd want to run as soon as you found out you were expelled."

"Uncle Vernon tried to kick me out." Harry admitted and Alicia looked surprised "But Mr Weasley told me to say and so did Sirius so…" he muttered before looking alert again "And Aunt Petunia got a howler!"

"What? From who?" Alicia questioned

"I don't know." Harry shrugged "And she wont answer me when I ask. It said 'Remember my last, Petunia.'"

"Weird…"

"Not as much as seeing you as a ghost…" Harry mumbled leaning forwards and putting his hand through her shoulder. "Sort of." Alicia glared at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Sorry." he muttered with a shy grin. "So what's going on? Hermione, Ron and Sirius aren't answering my letters!"

"I know, Hedwig was frantic, and I'm surprised you didn't send me one too."

"I assumed you'd turn up and tell me,"

"Hermione's anxious and forced me to try. I was actually successful." Alicia said looking down

"Maybe because you forced it on that's why I can see you." Harry pointed out

"Maybe. Anyway that's not important." Alicia agreed, waving it away. "They're coming to get you."

"What?!" Harry demanded

"Lupin, Mad-eye, Tonks, a few others, they're coming and taking you from the Dursleys and to headquarters."

"To where you are?"

"Yes."

"When?" Harry looked like he couldn't believe his ears.

"In a couple of days, they have to arrange the details, like how you're going to travel and who's going and all that." Alicia explained "I suggested you fly but we'll find out."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"I'm telling you now." Alicia said "Otherwise it's probably for what ever reason Dumbledore kept you in the dark in the first place." Harry pursed his lips.

"So… why's Hermione anxious?"

"Because she thinks you're going to do something stupid, and she's worried about how angry you're going to be when you arrive." Alicia shrugged "Hedwig attacking her and Ron didn't exactly help those thoughts." Alicia rose an eyebrow and Harry merely shrugged, not at all feeling guilty.

"So they still aren't telling you anything?" he wondered

"Not much, Sirius let some slip to me but not enough to make much sense and Mrs Weasley still isn't very happy with me." Alicia sighed "They're now all suspicious because I knew about the dementor attack before anyone."

"What?"

"The reason everyone responded so fast wasn't just because Mundungus was sent to tell everyone, it was because I ran down the stairs the second I got back… to my body I mean, and ran to tell them. I interrupted their important meeting and everything." Alicia explained "Then when some of them, Mrs Weasley mainly, was doubting me, Mundungus turned up and told them what'd happened. Mrs Weasley through a fit and then Mr Weasley turned up to tell us again and then Dumbledore arrived and made the decision to bring you to Headquarters. He was so angry that all of us sort of hid upstairs."

"You didn't talk to him?" Harry questioned

"I've had my chat with him and it made no difference." Alicia said looking annoyed "I don't need to get more angry at him then I already am."

"But…"

"Harry he wouldn't tell me the first time as to why he's suddenly distanced you from everything why would that have changed in a few weeks?"

"Maybe because I fought off a couple of dementors?" Harry demanded

"And you did it valiantly but you also fought off more in our third year." Alicia smirked

"With your help." Alicia only shrugged as Harry sat on his bed "I feel like I'm about to be scolded when I see everyone, no one decided to check I was alright, or tell me anything or even say well done."

"Hey I just did." Alicia said

"Thanks for that, but Hermione and Ron wont even answer me. Sirius hasn't even answered me." Harry complained

"That's because we can't send you a letter telling you what happened incase it gets intercepted. Mrs Weasley is intercepting any letter I send you and confiscating it. No one is exactly going to pick up the phone and tell you and we're not about to try the floo network a second time with the Dursleys. It needs be untraceable, of which I'm sure Dumbledore knows of a few ways but we don't. And if we did they'd probably require magic." Alicia said strongly.

"What are we doing about the hearing?" Harry changed the topic slightly.

"That was Dumbledore's reason for bringing you here. Someone from the ministry needs to escort you. Everyone says you'll get off easy because Dumbledore's on your side and Mrs Figg was a witness but that doesn't stop them from worrying."

"You knew about Mrs Figg?"

"I should have." Alicia said strongly, angry at herself. "Dumbledore said her name last year when he told Sirius to gather all those people. It completely slipped my mind!"

"You didn't know she was a squib then?"

"No. Sirius told me after… everything." she sighed.

"So when is everyone coming?"

"Lupin said three or four days." Alicia nodded "So I'll see you, properly, soon." she smiled "Then you can shout at everyone." Harry didn't answer

"I think it worked…"

"She seems to have fallen asleep…"

"Didn't she say she's usually asleep?"

Alicia recognised the two voices playing somewhere in the back of her mind. They belonged to Ginny and Hermione. Alicia listened as Harry sat and contemplated what she'd said.

"Once she passed out…" Hermione muttered

"Well she looks slightly too peaceful like that." Ginny thought

"But this can't be good, I mean she basically has out of body experiences, wouldn't that put some sort of strain on the body? Or even the soul?" Hermione worried

"Calm down I'm fine." Alicia muttered to herself.

"Alicia!" Ginny responded

"You're awake?" Hermione said and Alicia stood surprised. How could she be in two different places…? She'd never been able to hear or respond while she was with Harry, while she was having one of her ghost moments…

 _That's because you've always been asleep._

"I didn't fall asleep apparently…" she said slowly

"You've got your eyes closed…" Ginny said

"I was trying to reach Harry."

"Guess it didn't work." Hermione groaned and Alicia could feel as she stood up from the bed and her footsteps sounded as she started to pace again.

Was this like a development of the ghost stage? Harry begins to hear her, then he sees her and then she is somewhat conscious to both what's going on around her and Harry?

"Actually Hermione, it did…" Alicia took a deep breath and she could smell the room of Grimmauld Place, hear the mutters downstairs, Kreacher sounded as though he was out on the landing, his mutters of insults reaching her.

"What you saw him?! Is he furious! Is he wondering why we didn't reply? Did he tell you why he sent Hedwig like that? Did you tell him he's being collected?" Hermione rambled, her voice very close again

"Actually Hermione, I'm still with him."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It's weird, I can hear you, and smell the dusty room, and even feel the bed beneath me, but I'm standing in Harry's bedroom…"

"How is that possible?"

"It's like my eyes are with Harry and the rest of my senses are at Grimmauld Place."

"That can't be good! What if you're splitting your soul! It's bad enough you're straining it!" Hermione sounded both worried and as though she was scolding Alicia.

"It's not like I'm choosing to do this. It's just how it works… I guess." Alicia defended confused.

Ginny started to giggle.

"You even pull faces while you're like this." she commented and Alicia rolled her eyes.

"What?" Harry asked

"Turns out I can hear what's going on around my body."

"What?"

"Yeah Hermione and Ginny are talking in my ear."

"Do they know?"

"Yep, apparently I can talk back as well." Harry stared at her with his mouth opened and then he glared.

"Woah…" Alicia muttered at the look, holding her hands up in surrender. "He's glaring at me…"

"Why?" Ginny questioned

"He knows you're there."

"Oh, tell him how sorry I am! I wish we could tell him." Hermione

"You're not physically incapable of doing so Hermione." Alicia reminded her to which Hermione only muttered under her breath. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"What?"

"Hermione wants to tell you that she's sorry for not telling you anything."

"Why didn't she?"

"Dumbledore." Alicia said simply with a slight scowl.

"Did you tell him people are coming to get him?"

"Of course I did." Alicia answered the red head girl.

"But it's weird, he can see me."

"So?"

"He's never been able to before."

"Just like you haven't been in two places at once?" Hermione asked

"Yeah."

"Hey girls!" the other voice suddenly caused Alicia to jump and she opened her eyes to see Fred and George grinning at them.

"Fred!" Ginny complained

"What?" he questioned confused

"We were talking to Harry!" she admitted

"Well, I was." Alicia corrected as she sat up and unconsciously brushed her fingers over her scar on her neck.

"What?" Ron was with the twins.

"Alicia was talking to Harry again," Ginny explained "Then Fred broke her out of it." she accused. He only held his hands up in surrender.

"She told him he was getting picked up and brought here." Hermione confessed

"Why?" George asked

"Well no one else was." Alicia said annoyed as she stood up "And I refuse to leave him in the dark like everyone else in this god forsaken house." she pushed past the twins and made her way down the stairs towards the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Alicia resolved to helping Mrs Weasley within the kitchen for the next couple of days just to try and make time pass faster. Her patients was wearing thin and although nothing was said between the two, cooking with Mrs Weasley was the only thing that managed to keep her busy enough. She would help clean with everyone else, though all the bedrooms and kitchen were now done, but that would mean breaking her resolve to not help until she was informed of the orders movements, even if she had most bases covered.

When she wasn't cooking she was with the twins. After helping them get the money they needed for their joke shop by suggesting Harry give them his one thousand Galleon prize money from the Triwizard Tournament the previous year, they allowed her to try and cure her boredom with them. This however meant trying a few of their experiments, of which she was happy to do as long as she was given access to one of their wands to try and cure herself with afterwards. Neither minded, but it was good to have a break from trying the Skiving Snack box treats on themselves.

Ron had suggested she use the time to finish her summer homework. Hermione had thrown a fit asking why he hadn't finished his already, that she'd had her done for weeks. Alicia broke the argument by informing Ron she'd already done it all, like Hermione.

"After all, I haven't been cleaning." was her reason. The three had turned when Noel flew into the room with a letter.

"Did you send a letter to Harry!?" Hermione asked shocked

"What? No, it's from Anthony." Alicia admitted

"You're writing to him?" Ron questioned surprised

"Yeah." Alicia said simply as she opened the letter.

"Alicia you haven't told him anything have you?" Hermione asked sternly

"I'm not stupid, of course I haven't." Alicia said annoyed at the girl as she looked over the parchment. "He just knows I'm not at home anymore because his owl couldn't find me, you know the place being so well hidden and all. I told him Dumbledore was just taking precautions."

"So, does that mean he believed you and Harry?" Ron asked

"Yes." Alicia nodded as she read the letter.

* * *

Finally, on the fourth day, Alicia came downstairs to find the kitchen full. Lupin was there, Tonks was sitting beside him as Mrs Weasley gave Mad-Eye Moody some breakfast, to which he prodded and poked slightly, sniffing the food before eating. Dedalus and Sturgis were standing in the corner muttering to one another. Kindly was talking to Mr Weasley. Alphas Doge and two unknown women were across the table from Lupin with Sirius talking to one another as Moody listened in, munching on his breakfast.

"Wow, did we walk in on a sudden meeting or something?" Alicia asked as Hermione and Ginny walked in behind her.

"No, no dear." Mrs Weasley smiled "The meeting's tonight." she admitted, clearing her throat. The twins appeared at that moment and grinned, sharing a glance.

"So…" Alicia began as Ron finally joined them.

"These people are all helping Lupin to be Harry's guard." Mrs Weasley smiled at them all, as though she was ever grateful to them for protecting another of her sons. Alicia looked at Mrs Weasley surprised.

"Today?" she questioned "He's arriving today?" Hermione looked worried, Ginny was beaming like Alicia while Ron looked a mix between worried and grateful. The twins just shared a knowing glance.

"If all goes well, he should be here sometime before dinner." Mrs Weasley nodded.

Alicia grinned and moved quickly over to Sirius.

"So how are we getting him? What's the plan?"

"We nothing." Lupin said strongly and Alicia frowned "You're underage and therefore can't protect yourself."

"Alright fine, but still tell me what's happening." Alicia demanded turning back to Sirius expectantly. Everyone looked surprised she hadn't argued to go with them. Hermione and Ron shared a look however, both guessed Alicia just wanted to see Harry and wasn't going to jeopardise that by arguing her case. Besides she was smarter than that.

"Well we've decided to take on your idea of flying." Lupin admitted "It is the most efficient way without being traced, despite being out in the open."

"We've only been talking about it amongst ourselves." Tonks grinned "So unless there's a traitor among us I doubt no one will even know he's being moved." she shrugged

"Okay, so a bunch of wizards are going to drop in on the Dursley's unannounced on broomsticks?" Alicia recapped "What about the Dursleys they'll blow a gasket at Harry?"

"We're going to get them out of the house." Sirius said simply

"How?" Alicia wondered.

"Well we were wondering if you could help there?" Tonks said

"Well, you send them a letter in the mail saying they've won something they'll take it. Anything to prove they're better than others." Alicia shrugged "But you have to do it right, anything abnormal and they'll immediately know something's wrong."

"My dad's a muggle, I know how to send a letter via muggle post." Tonks waved the idea away. "What should they win?" she thought "Oh! How about telling them they've been short-listed for the All-England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition and they need to leave this evening to win the award?"

"Perfect…" Alicia muttered surprised by Tonk's quick thinking.

"We'll leave after night fall, better coverage then." Lupin said, looking at Sirius who nodded

"You're not going." Alicia said strongly to her godfather.

"Unfortunately not." he sighed "Dumbledore still hasn't lifted my house arrest."

"And as long as you're a convicted murderer he never will." Alicia informed with a sarcastic smile before she walked over to Mrs Weasley for some breakfast.

The day passed slowly and Alicia spent it by helping the Weasley twins with some more of their experiments. Mrs Weasley was outright worried as Alicia walked into the kitchen with puss filled boils over her face. She did not look at all impressed and Mrs Weasley went into a tiss to get rid of them. When Alicia had seen the twins next, they'd run for their room, or apparated for their room, as they hadn't actually told Alicia what the sweets did, she assumed they were more nose bleeding sweets.

"I should have known better." Alicia muttered as she sat in Ron's room. People had begun to arrive downstairs as there was another meeting and many were leaving to retrieve Harry.

"You did trust Fred and George…" Ron said as he was throwing some treats on top of the wardrobe for Pig.

"I needed something to do. I'm going to go mad if I have to wait much longer. The anticipation is killing me."

"Well, I guess that's what it's like to have a sibling you actually get along with." Hermione said as she walked in with Crookshanks in her arms.

"I get along with Ginny." Ron said

"No you boss her around, and don't use your manners." Alicia corrected "No one gets along with Percy, the twins have one another and Bill and Charlie seem to be fine." she said "That's why you have Harry and Ginny has me and Hermione, after all, Harry and I are practically family." Ron looked at her confused, wondering if it was a compliment or not.

"Sometimes I don't know how to feel about your honesty…" Ron confessed

"At least I am honest." she pointed out.

"Only when it suits you." Hermione reminded her and Alicia only shrugged.

"Isn't that how it is with everyone?" Ron asked casually and Hermione looked at him disapproving.

"Don't look like that Hermione, you've lied to suit you as well, no matter how guilty you've felt about it." Alicia said. Hermione didn't reply.

"So, any idea what we're going to do once Harry arrives?" Ron wondered

"Oh it wont be that bad," Hermione believed but she didn't look as reassuring as she wanted to.

"You remember Hedwig right?" Alicia wondered and the girl absentmindedly rubbed over the cuts on her hands. "We may as well just say our prayers now." she sighed

"I understand Harry will be mad, but you're making it out to be something completely different." Ron said "We are still his friends." he believed

"Alright." Alicia said holding her hands up in surrender as she got to her feet. "Harry will be completely forgiving." she said as she left the room, closing the door behind her. She stood on the landing looking down, she had an impulse to go down stairs and wait in the hallway, but the risk of Mrs Weasley seeing her and thinking she was ears dropping on the meeting, plus the chance Mrs Black might wake up and start screaming again, was enough to make her just move to the first landing and sit on the first stair down, waiting. The only interesting thing that happened while she waited was Snape walked past her without noticing her, his usual scowl in place.

Alicia stood bolt up right when she heard a heap of metallic clicks from the doorway and then the chain fell with a clatter. Whispers and shuffling feet followed it before she heard the familiar tone of Mad-eye Moody.

"Here —" Alicia quickly made her way down the stairs and turned to look down the dark hallway. She could make out the shapes of people before Moody spoke again. "Now stay still, everyone, while I give us a bit of light in here," he whispered.

She didn't even bother to wince when the gas lamps sputtered to life along the walls but stared at the group of people now visible by the doorway. Harry was right in the front.

"Harry!" she breathed, remembering to keep her voice down. The messy haired boy looked at her surprised before she had him in a hug.

"Alicia what are you doing down here?" Lupin asked with a sigh

"That's a silly question." Alicia answered as she looked at the man, releasing Harry. The door opened at the end of the hallway and Mrs Weasley appeared, beaming as she hurried towards them.

"Oh, Harry, it's lovely to see you!" she whispered, pulling him into a rib-cracking hug before holding him at arm's length and examining him critically. "You're looking peaky; you need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid…"

She turned to the gang of wizards behind him and whispered urgently, "He's just arrived, the meeting's started…"

The wizards behind Harry all made noises of interest and excitement and began filing past the twins toward the door through which Mrs. Weasley had just come.

"Alicia what are you doing down here?" Mrs Weasley asked her with a sigh

"I wasn't down here, I was on the first landing waiting for Harry." Alicia defended as Harry made to follow Lupin, but Mrs. Weasley held him back.

"No, Harry, the meeting's only for members of the Order." Harry looked at Alicia who huffed slightly and then began to make her way towards the stairs. "Ron and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait with them until the meeting's over and then we'll have dinner. And keep your voice down in the hall," she added in an urgent whisper.

"Why?"

"I don't want to wake anything up."

"What d'you — ?"

"I'll explain later, I've got to hurry, I'm supposed to be at the meeting. Alicia show Harry where he's sleeping wont you?" she asked

"Of course." she nodded not bothering to stop and turn to her. Harry quickly followed his sister when Mrs Weasley pressed a finger to her lips and directed him to do so.

"What's going on?" Harry whispered

"They're having a meeting. We're not allowed in. Mrs Weasley refuses to tell us anything." Alicia whispered she then held a finger to her lips as they passed Mrs Black's portrait, covered in curtains and then continued up the stairs.

"What's with the whispering?"

"Those curtains," Alicia pointed down the landing "They cover a portrait that screams when ever it hears anything." she rolled her eyes

"Why does this house look like it belonged to dark wizards?"

"Because it did. But the family member who it now belongs to was the black sheep of the family." she smirked as they reached the door. "You go first." she mentioned and Harry turned the door knob, also in the shape of a serpents head, before he opened it and walked in.

Hermione threw herself at the boy.

Alicia blinked in surprise as she held her hands out to stabilise the two and stop them from falling backwards. Pig began to zoom around their heads in the same moment.

"HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless — but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us — the dementors! When we heard, Alicia didn't tell us any details — and that Ministry hearing — it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations —"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," said Ron, grinning, closing the door behind Harry after Alicia walked in.

Hermione, still beaming, let go of Harry, but before she could say another word there was a soft whooshing sound and something white soared from the top of a dark wardrobe and landed gently on Harry's shoulder.

"Hedwig!" The snowy owl clicked her beak and nibbled his ear affectionately as Harry stroked her feathers.

"What's she doing down here?" Alicia wondered

"We brought her down, Hermione needed something to do and decided this would be the first place Harry came so." Ron shrugged "She's been in a right state," he said to Harry. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters, look at this —"

He showed Harry the index finger of his right hand, which now sported a half-healed but clearly deep cut.

"Oh yeah," Harry said. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know…"

"We wanted to give them to you, mate," said Ron. "Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, and once Alicia turned up… but Dumbledore made us —"

"— swear not to tell me," said Harry. "Yeah, Alicia said."

Alicia scoffed as she watched Harry's expression dampen and he turned his attention towards Hedwig as she sat down.

"He seemed to think it was best," said Hermione rather breathlessly. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," said Harry.

"Ha, yeah, for the best. And look what happened." Alicia snapped

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles —" Ron began.

"Yeah?" said Harry, raising his eyebrows. "Have either of you been attacked by dementors this summer?"

"Well, no — but that's why he's had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time —"

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" said Harry, doing his utmost to keep his voice even. Alicia didn't know why he bothered. She knew he was angry. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"He was so angry," said Hermione in an almost awestruck voice. "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift had ended. He was scary."

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said coldly. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would probably have left me at Privet Drive all summer. Alicia would have fed me the information under his nose."

"Oh no, I'd tell him I was doing it, then you'd come here." Alicia muttered

"Aren't you… aren't you worried about the Ministry of Magic hearing?" said Hermione quietly.

"No," Harry lied defiantly. He walked away from them, looking at Alicia who raised a knowing eyebrow. She knew him better than that, but clearly he didn't want to talk about it, so she decided not to point out his lie. Not with Hermione and Ron around anyway.

"So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark?" Harry asked, still trying hard to keep his voice casual. "Did you — er — bother to ask him at all?"

He glanced up just in time to see them exchanging a look. Alicia crossed her arms and looked at them expectantly. Neither spoke for a minute so Alicia turned to Harrys.

"I did but he refused to answer me, just avoided the topic and stayed silent or said something else."

"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," said Ron. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted —"

"He could still've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said shortly. "Even Alicia believed he should know other ways to send messages without owls."

Hermione glanced at Ron and then said

"I thought that too. But he didn't want you to know anything."

"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted," said Harry, watching their expressions.

"Don't be thick," said Ron, looking highly disconcerted.

"Or that I can't take care of myself —"

"Of course he doesn't think that!" said Hermione anxiously.

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you two get to join in everything that's going on here? Even Alicia was brought in!" said Harry, the words tumbling over one another in a rush, his voice growing louder with every word.

Alicia just watched him, letting him vent his anger out as the two watched him fearfully.

"How come you are allowed to know everything that's going on — ?"

"We're not!" Ron interrupted. "Mum won't let us near the meetings, she says we're too young —"

And then Harry was shouting.

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT — WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?" Alicia raised an eyebrow

"Pretty sure I was there too…" she muttered slightly annoyed but Harry didn't seem to hear her and continued with his shouting.

"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!"

Ron was standing there with his mouth half-open, clearly stunned and at a loss for anything to say, while Hermione looked on the verge of tears.

"BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Harry, we wanted to tell you, we really did —" Hermione began.

"CAN'T'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, ONLY ALICIA TRIED ALL SHE COULD AND EVEN THAT SHE WAS HELD FROM! BUT _DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR_ —"

"Well, he did —"

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON —"

"We wanted to —"

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER —"

"No, honest —"

"Harry, we're really sorry!" said Hermione desperately, her eyes now sparkling with tears. "You're absolutely right, Harry — I'd be furious if it was me! Alicia continuously told us you'd be furious and was the only one to hold a stand around here. You're right! You have every right to be angry at us."

Harry glared at her, still breathing deeply, then turned away from them again, pacing up and down. Hedwig hooted glumly from the top of the wardrobe where she'd taken refuge from Harry's shouts. There was a long pause, broken only by the mournful creak of the floorboards below Harry's feet.

"What _is_ this place anyway?" he shot at Ron and Hermione.

"Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix," said Ron at once.

"Is anyone going to bother telling me what the Order of the Phoenix — ?"

"It's a secret society," said Hermione quickly. "Dumbledore's in charge, he founded it. It's the people who fought against You-Know-Who last time."

"Who's in it?" said Harry, coming to a halt with his hands in his pockets.

"Quite a few people —"

"— we've met about twenty of them," said Ron, "but we think there are more…"

Harry glared at them.

" _Well_?" he demanded, looking from one to the other.

"Er," said Ron. "Well what?"

" _Voldemort_!" said Harry furiously, and both Ron and Hermione winced. "What's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"

"Harry, don't you listen?" Alicia questioned and he looked at her as she stood to her feet.

"We've told you, the Order don't let us in on their meetings," said Hermione nervously. "So we don't know the details — but we've got a general idea —" she added hastily, seeing the look on Harry's face.

"Fred and George have invented Extendable Ears, see," said Ron. "They're really useful."

"Extendable — ?"

"Ears, yeah. Only we've had to stop using them lately because Mum found out and went berserk."

"It was terrifying." Alicia sighed with a nod

"Not as much as Alicia shouting back when she tried to scold us." Hermione frowned but the girl simply huffed when Harry looked at her.

"Fred and George had to hide them all to stop Mum binning them. But we got a good bit of use out of them before Mum realised what was going on. We know some of the Order are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them, you know —"

"— some of them are working on recruiting more people to the Order —" said Hermione.

"— and some of them are standing guard over something," said Ron. "They're always talking about guard duty."

"Couldn't have been me, could it?" said Harry sarcastically.

"Oh yeah," said Ron, with a look of dawning comprehension. Harry snorted. He walked around the room again, looking anywhere but at Ron and Hermione.

"Well, I did have a talk with Sirius but it didn't shed all too much light." Alicia admitted and Hermione and Ron looked surprised.

"You didn't tell them?" Harry asked seeing their expressions

"Huh, it wasn't exactly useful information." she said with a shrug. "But I guess the most important thing is that what ever the Order is guarding, it isn't you, it's something Voldemort wants and it's in the ministry."

"How do you know that?" Hermione breathed

"We were listening remember, before Mrs Weasley found out about the Extendable Ears." Alicia said simply "Sirius didn't say much but even asking him get's me thinking enough to work that out. But I don't know what it is." she confessed.

"Other than that there isn't much we know." she looked angrily away from them as Hermione and Ron shared a look.

"So what have you two been doing, if you're not allowed in meetings?" Harry demanded, clearly as angry as Alicia for the lack of information. "You said you'd been busy."

"We have," said Hermione quickly. "We've been decontaminating this house, it's been empty for ages and stuff's been breeding in here. We've managed to clean out the kitchen, most of the bedrooms, and I think we're doing the drawing room tomo — AARGH!"

With two loud cracks, Fred and George materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room. Pigwidgeon twittered more wildly than ever and zoomed off to join Hedwig on top of the wardrobe.

"Stop doing that!" Hermione said weakly to the twins

"Hello, Harry," said George, beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily.

"With distinction," said Fred, who was holding the familiar piece of very long, flesh-coloured string.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," said Ron.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears," he added in response to Harry's raised eyebrows, holding up the string, which Harry now saw was trailing out onto the landing. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."

"You want to be careful," said Ron, staring at the ear. "If Mum sees one of them again…"

"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having," said Fred.

"I think the Extendable Ears are easy to make and that's why they don't mind risking them." Alicia said to Harry beside her.

The door opened and a long mane of red hair appeared.

"Oh hello, Harry!" said Ginny, brightly. "I thought I heard your voice." Turning to Fred and George she said, "It's no go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."

"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen.

"Tonks told me how to find out," said Ginny. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."

Fred heaved a deep sigh.

"Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."

"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," said George, carefully closing the door and sitting down on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny followed. "Giving a report. Top secret."

"He's being like a spy for Dumbledore, he's right in Voldemort's inner circle. It's how they know what he wants and to guard it." Alicia said to Harry "He comes and reports what Voldemort's been doing to everyone."

"Git," said Fred idly.

"He's on our side now," said Hermione reprovingly.

Ron snorted.

"Doesn't stop him being a git. The way he looks at us when he sees us…"

"Bill doesn't like him either," said Ginny, as though that settled the matter. Alicia sat on one of the beds, collapsing onto it. Harry sat beside her before speaking.

"Is Bill here?" he asked. "I thought he was working in Egypt."

"He applied for a desk job so he could come home and work for the Order," said Fred. "He says he misses the tombs, but," he smirked, "there are compensations…"

"What d'you mean?"

"Remember old Fleur Delacour?" said George. "She's got a job at Gringotts to _eemprove 'er Eeenglish_ —"

"— and Bill's been giving her a lot of private lessons," sniggered Fred.

"Charlie's in the Order too," said George, "but he's still in Romania, Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."

"Couldn't Percy do that?" Harry asked. At these words all the Weasleys, Alicia and Hermione exchanged darkly significant looks.

"There's a rather complicated explanation to follow that." Alicia said looking unimpressed and Harry looked confused.

"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad," Ron told Harry in a tense voice.

"Why not?"

"Because every time Percy's name's mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying," Fred said.

"It's been awful," said Ginny sadly.

"I think we're well shut of him," said George with an uncharacteristically ugly look on his face.

"What's happened?" Harry said.

"Percy and Dad had a row," said Fred. "I've never seen Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts…"

"It was the first week back after term ended," said Ron. "We were about to come and join the Order. Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."

"You're kidding?" said Harry.

"Yeah, we were all surprised," said George, "because Percy got into a load of trouble about Crouch, there was an inquiry and everything. They said Percy ought to have realised Crouch was off his rocker and informed a superior. But you know Percy, Crouch left him in charge, he wasn't going to complain…"

"So how come they promoted him?"

"That's exactly what we wondered," said Ron, who seemed very keen to keep a normal conversation going now that Harry had stopped yelling. "He came home really pleased with himself — even more pleased than usual if you can imagine that — and told Dad he'd been offered a position in Fudge's own office. A really good one for someone only a year out of Hogwarts — Junior Assistant to the Minister. He expected Dad to be all impressed, I think."

"Only Dad wasn't," said Fred grimly.

"Why not?" said Harry.

"Well, apparently Fudge has been storming round the Ministry checking that nobody's having any contact with Dumbledore," said George.

"Dumbledore's name's mud with the Ministry these days, see," said Fred. "They all think he's just making trouble saying You-Know-Who's back."

"Fudge still doesn't believe he's back after all and will do anything to stop that." Alicia said

"Dad says Fudge has made it clear that anyone who's in league with Dumbledore can clear out their desks," said George.

"Trouble is, Fudge suspects Dad, he knows he's friendly with Dumbledore, and he's always thought Dad's a bit of a weirdo because of his Muggle obsession —"

"But what's this got to do with Percy?" asked Harry, confused.

"I'm coming to that. Dad reckons Fudge only wants Percy in his office because he wants to use him to spy on the family — and Dumbledore."

Harry let out a low whistle.

"Bet Percy loved that."

Ron laughed in a hollow sort of way.

"He went completely berserk. He said — well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been — you know — not had a lot of money, I mean —"

" _What_?" said Harry in disbelief, as Ginny made a noise like an angry cat.

"He went low apparently." Alicia nodded

"I know," said Ron in a low voice. "And it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he — Percy — knew where his loyalty lay and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living here in London now."

Harry swore under his breath.

"Mum's been in a right state," said Ron. "You know — crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work — ignores him, I s'pose."

"But Percy _must_ know Voldemort's back," said Harry slowly. "He's not stupid, he must know your mum and dad wouldn't risk everything without proof —"

"Yeah, well, your name got dragged into the row," said Ron, shooting Harry a furtive look. "Both of you actually. Percy said the only evidence was your words and… I dunno… he didn't think it was good enough."

"Percy takes the _Daily Prophet_ seriously," said Hermione tartly, and the others all nodded.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, looking around at them all. They were all regarding him warily.

"Haven't — haven't you been getting the _Daily Prophet_?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yeah, I have!" said Harry.

"Yeah but I bet you've only looked at the front page, and not through the rest of it right?" Alicia said with a raised eyebrow

"Yeah so?" Harry questioned and Alicia sighed.

"Yeah, I expected that."

"You — er — haven't been reading it thoroughly?" Hermione asked still more anxiously.

"Not cover to cover," said Harry defensively. "If they were going to report anything about Voldemort it would be headline news, wouldn't it!"

The others flinched at the sound of the name. Hermione hurried on

"Well, you'd need to read it cover to cover to pick it up, but they — um — they mention you a couple of times a week."

"But I'd have seen —"

"Not if you've only been reading the front page, you wouldn't," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I'm not talking about big articles. They just slip you in, like you're a standing joke."

"What d'you — ?"

"It's quite nasty, actually," said Hermione in a voice of forced calm. "They're just building on Rita's stuff."

"But she's not writing for them anymore, is she?"

"Oh no, she's kept her promise — not that she's got any choice," Hermione added with satisfaction. "But she laid the foundation for what they're trying to do now."

"Which is what?" said Harry impatiently.

"They're making you out to be some attention seeking… boy." Alicia sighed "Who can't be trusted." Harry looked confused

"Okay, you know she wrote that you were collapsing all over the place and saying your scar was hurting and all that?"

"Yeah," said Harry,

"Well, they're writing about you as though you're this deluded, attention-seeking person who thinks he's a great tragic hero or something," said Hermione, very fast, as though it would be less unpleasant for Harry to hear these facts quickly. "They keep slipping in snide comments about you. If some far-fetched story appears they say something like 'a tale worthy of Harry Potter' and if anyone has a funny accident or anything it's 'let's hope he hasn't got a scar on his forehead or we'll be asked to worship him next —' "

"I don't want anyone to worship —" Harry began hotly.

"I know you don't," said Hermione quickly, looking frightened. "I _know_ , Harry. But you see what they're doing? They want to turn you into someone nobody will believe. Fudge is behind it, I'll bet anything. They want wizards on the street to think you're just some stupid boy who's a bit of a joke, who tells ridiculous tall stories because he loves being famous and wants to keep it going."

"I didn't ask — I didn't want — _Voldemort killed my parents_!" Harry spluttered. "I got famous because he murdered my family but couldn't kill me! Who wants to be famous for that? Don't they think I'd rather it'd never —"

"We _know_ , Harry," said Ginny earnestly. Alicia however hit him.

"Stop pinning their stupid false facts on them. The prophet wants everyone to think that. Doesn't mean it's true. But everyone reads the Daily Prophet." she said

"And of course, they didn't report a word about the dementors attacking you," said Hermione. "Someone's told them to keep that quiet. That should've been a really big story, out-of-control dementors. They haven't even reported that you broke the International Statute of Secrecy — we thought they would, it would tie in so well with this image of you as some stupid show-off — we think they're biding their time until you're expelled, then they're really going to go to town — I mean, if you're expelled, obviously," she went on hastily, "you really shouldn't be, not if they abide by their own laws, there's no case against you."

"I talked to Sirius and Lupin and apparently you're going to get off because Mrs Figg was a witness." Alicia assured "So nothing to worry about." she smiled. She knew Harry would be freaking out about the hearing, after all they were threatening to kick him out of Hogwarts, his home.

Everyone stopped and turned as the sound of footsteps began to make their way up the stairs.

"Uh-oh."

Fred gave the Extendable Ear a hearty tug; there was another loud crack and he and George vanished. Seconds later, Mrs. Weasley appeared in the bedroom doorway.

"The meeting's over, you can come down and have dinner now, everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"

"Crookshanks," said Ginny unblushingly. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh," said Mrs. Weasley, "I thought it might have been Kreacher, he keeps doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please…"

Ginny grimaced at the others and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Harry alone with Alicia, Ron and Hermione again. Ron and Hermione were watching him apprehensively, as though they feared that he would start shouting again now that everyone else had gone.

Alicia rolled her eyes annoyed. What did they expect? She did warn them.

"Look…" he muttered, but Ron shook his head, and Hermione said quietly,

"We knew you'd be angry, Harry, Alicia told us too many times, but really, she wouldn't have needed to. We really don't blame you, but you've got to understand, we did try and persuade Dumbledore —"

"Well not as much as Alicia did… and she's been trying to pry information from Sirius and break mum into letting her into the meetings. She's refused to clean up or help in anyway that doesn't involve her profiting." Harry looked at her but she shrugged.

"I told you, Mrs Weasley isn't happy with me."

"Yeah, I know," said Harry grudgingly.

There was silence and Alicia hoped Dumbledore didn't come up again. Not only did it anger herself, but she knew Harry didn't want to hear about the person who was so keen on keeping him in the dark. Of all people.

"Who's Kreacher?" he asked.

"The house-elf who lives here," said Ron. "Nutter. Never met one like him."

Hermione frowned at Ron.

"He's not a _nutter_ , Ron —"

"His life's ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on a plaque just like his mother," said Ron irritably. "Is that normal, Hermione?"

"Well — well, if he is a bit strange, it's not his fault —"

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry.

"Hermione still hasn't given up on _spew_ —"

"It's not 'spew'!" said Hermione heatedly. "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and it's not just me, Dumbledore says we should be kind to Kreacher too. Even Alicia's kind to him —"

"I'm not, I just find it's a hella easily to say sorry and step out of his way then argue like everyone else." she snapped

"Yeah, yeah," said Ron. "C'mon, I'm starving."

He led the way out of the door and onto the landing, but before they could descend the stairs — "Hold it!" Ron breathed, flinging out an arm to stop Harry, Alicia and Hermione walking any farther. "They're still in the hall, we might be able to hear something —"

The four of them looked cautiously over the banisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with witches and wizards, including all of Harry's guard. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very centre of the group was the dark, greasy-haired head and prominent nose of Professor Snape. Harry leaned farther over the banisters.

A thin piece of flesh-coloured string descended in front of Harry's eyes. Looking up he saw Fred and George on the landing above, cautiously lowering the Extendable Ear toward the dark knot of people below. A moment later, however, they began to move toward the front door and out of sight.

"Dammit," Fred whispered, as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up again.

They heard the front door open and then close.

"Snape never eats here," Ron told Harry quietly. "Thank God. C'mon."

"And don't forget to keep your voice down in the hall, Harry," Hermione whispered.

As they passed the row of house-elf heads on the wall they saw Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind those who had just left.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley whispered, meeting them at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here —"

 _CRASH_.

" _Tonks_!" cried Mrs. Weasley exasperatedly, turning to look behind her.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over —"

But the rest of her words were drowned by the usual horrible, earsplitting, bloodcurdling screech.

The moth-eaten velvet curtains flew apart and the old woman in a black cap was screaming and screaming as though she was being tortured, as she always did when she was alerted to presence within the house.

"Oh no." Alicia sighed annoyed despite the fact that no one could hear her over the shouting.

The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed, and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell too, so that Harry actually screwed up his eyes at the noise and clapped his hands over his ears.

Lupin and Mrs. Weasley darted forward and tried to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they would not close and she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.

Alicia had her hands over her ears and one eye open staring a the angered women.

" _Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers —_ "

Tonks apologised over and over again, at the same time dragging the huge, heavy troll's leg back off the floor. Mrs. Weasley abandoned the attempt to close the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, stunning all the other portraits with her wand. Then Sirius came charging out of the kitchen.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" he roared, seizing the curtain Mrs. Weasley had abandoned.

The old woman's face blanched.

" _Yoooou_!" she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the man. " _Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh_!"

"I said — shut — UP!" roared Sirius, and with a stupendous effort he and Lupin managed to force the curtains closed again.

The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence fell.

"Seriously Sirius, you had it bad." Alicia sighed

Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Sirius turned to face Harry.

"Hello, Harry," he said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

"Your — ?"

"My dear old mum, yeah," said Sirius. "We've been trying to get her down for a month but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas."

"Like mother like son." Alicia said before she walked past and down to the kitchen as Sirius smiled at her slightly before turning back to Harry.

"Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again."

"But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?" Harry asked, bewildered, as they went through the door from the hall and led the way down a flight of narrow stone steps, the others just behind them.

"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house," said Sirius. "But I'm the last Black left, so it's mine now. I offered it to Dumbledore for headquarters — about the only useful thing I've been able to do."

Harry noted how hard and bitter Sirius's voice sounded. He followed his godfather to the bottom of the stairs and through a door leading into the basement kitchen.

"He's no happier with Dumbledore then we are." Alicia said simply when Harry reached the bottom of the stairs. It was clear instantly why she hadn't sat down yet. Mr. Weasley and his eldest son, Bill, were talking quietly with their heads together at the end of the table before them.

Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat. Her husband, looked around and jumped to his feet.

"Harry!" Mr. Weasley said, hurrying forward to greet him and shaking his hand vigorously. "Good to see you!"

Over his shoulder Harry saw Bill, who still wore his long hair in a ponytail, hastily rolling up the lengths of parchment left on the table.

"Journey all right, Harry?" Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls at once. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," said Tonks, striding over to help Bill and immediately sending a candle toppling onto the last piece of parchment. "Oh no — sorry —"

"Here, dear," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding exasperated, and she repaired the parchment with a wave of her wand: In the flash of light caused by Mrs. Weasley's charm, both Alicia and Harry caught a glimpse of what looked like the plan of a building. Alicia raised an eyebrow.

 _There wouldn't be blue prints for the Ministry would there? Sounds too muggleish…_ she wondered.

Mrs. Weasley had seen the two of them looking. She snatched the plan off the table and stuffed it into Bill's heavily laden arms.

"This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings," she snapped before sweeping off toward an ancient dresser from which she started unloading dinner plates.

Bill took out his wand, muttered " _Evanesco_!" and the scrolls vanished.

"Sit down, Harry," said Sirius. "You've met Mundungus, haven't you?"

Harry followed Alicia and Sirius as they sat down at the dinning table, Harry sitting bedside her.

"Some'n say m' name?" Mundungus mumbled sleepily. "I 'gree with Sirius…"

He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused. Ginny giggled.

"The meeting's over, Dung," said Sirius, as everyone else all began to sit down around the table. "Harry's arrived."

"Eh?" said Mundungus, peering balefully at Harry through his matted ginger hair. "Blimey, so 'e 'as. Yeah… you all right, 'arry?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

Mundungus fumbled nervously in his pockets, still staring at Harry, and pulled out a grimy black pipe. He stuck it in his mouth, ignited the end of it with his wand, and took a deep pull on it. Great billowing clouds of greenish smoke obscured him in seconds.

"Owe you a 'pology," grunted a voice from the middle of the smelly cloud.

"For the last time, Mundungus," called Mrs. Weasley, "will you please not smoke that thing in the kitchen, especially not when we're about to eat!"

"Ah," said Mundungus. "Right. Sorry, Molly."

The cloud of smoke vanished as Mundungus stowed his pipe back in his pocket, but an acrid smell of burning socks lingered.

"And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand," Mrs. Weasley said to the room at large. "No, you can stay where you are, Harry dear, you've had a long journey —" Harry had began to get up and looked at Alicia as though expecting her to do the same but the girl hadn't moved.

"What can I do, Molly?" said Tonks enthusiastically, bounding forward.

Mrs. Weasley hesitated, looking apprehensive.

"Er — no, it's all right, Tonks, you have a rest too, you've done enough today —"

"No, no, I want to help!" said Tonks brightly, knocking over a chair as she hurried toward the dresser from which Ginny was collecting cutlery.

"Hey, uh, Tonks." Alicia began and the girl turned to her "I'm not sure about everyone else but I don't think I feel safe with you, a wand and knives." she giggled slightly as Tonks looked at her, amused annoyance on her face.

"Oh is that so?" she asked as a few other people chuckled also.

"What?" Alicia shrugged innocently "I have told you before." she grinned.

Soon a series of heavy knives were chopping meat and vegetables of their own accord, supervised by Mr. Weasley, while Mrs. Weasley stirred a cauldron dangling over the fire and the others took out plates, more goblets, and food from the pantry.

Alicia and Harry were left at the table with Sirius and Mundungus, who was still blinking mournfully at him.

"Seen old Figgy since?" he asked.

"No," said Harry, "I haven't seen anyone."

"See, I wouldn't 'ave left," said Mundungus, leaning forward, a pleading note in his voice, "but I 'ad a business opportunity —"

"No one cares Dung." Alicia said cutting him off as Harry felt something brush against his knees and startled, but it was only Crookshanks, who wound himself once around Harry's legs, purring, then jumped onto Sirius's lap and curled up. Sirius scratched him absentmindedly behind the ears as he turned, still grim-faced, to Harry.

"Had a good summer so far?"

"No, it's been lousy," said Harry.

For the first time, something like a grin flitted across Sirius's face.

"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself."

" _What_?" said Harry incredulously.

"Personally, I'd have welcomed a dementor attack. A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about, stretch your legs, get into a few fights… I've been stuck inside for a month."

"How come?" asked Harry, frowning.

"His covers blown Harry." Alicia said

"The Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix… or so Dumbledore feels."

"At least you've known what's been going on," he said bracingly.

"Oh yeah," said Sirius sarcastically. "Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I've sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time… asking me how the cleaning's going —"

"What cleaning?" asked Harry.

"Trying to make this place fit for human habitation," said Sirius, waving a hand around the dismal kitchen. "No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died, unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist, hasn't cleaned anything in ages —"

"Sirius?" said Mundungus, who did not appear to have paid any attention to this conversation, but had been minutely examining an empty goblet. "This solid silver, mate?"

"Yes," said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"That'd come off, though," muttered Mundungus, polishing it with his cuff. Alicia reached forwards and grabbed it.

"Don't you dare go selling off things in this house Mundungus!" she snapped angrily

"It's better than having it here Alicia."

"Don't you start." Alicia snapped at her god father as she put the goblet before her on the table. Harry looked confused as Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes at his goddaughter.

"She's been collecting random things from this house as heirlooms. God knows why."

"Because it's something to pass down." she snapped stubbornly

"Fred — George — NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

Harry, Alicia, Sirius, and Mundungus looked around and, a split second later, dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, to hurtle through the air toward them. The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface, the flagon of butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere, and the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been seconds before.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" screamed Mrs. Weasley. "THERE WAS NO NEED — I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS — JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" said Fred, hurrying forward and wrenching the bread knife out of the table.

"Yet now you've wasted more time by having everyone clean up." Alicia pointed out, trying to keep her laughter in but Fred simply grinned

"Sorry Sirius, mate — didn't mean to —"

Harry and Sirius were both laughing. Mundungus, who had toppled backward off his chair, was swearing as he got to his feet. Crookshanks had given an angry hiss and shot off under the dresser, from whence his large yellow eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Boys," Mr. Weasley said, lifting the stew back into the middle of the table, "your mother's right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age —"

"— none of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Mrs. Weasley raged at the twins, slamming a fresh flagon of butterbeer onto the table and spilling almost as much again. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't Charm everything he met! Percy —"

She stopped dead, catching her breath with a frightened look at her husband, whose expression was suddenly wooden.

"Let's eat," said Bill quickly.

"It looks wonderful, Molly," said Lupin, ladling stew onto a plate for her and handing it across the table.

For a few minutes there was silence but for the chink of plates and cutlery and the scraping of chairs as everyone settled down to their food. Then Mrs. Weasley turned to Sirius

"I've been meaning to tell you, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like," said Sirius indifferently.

"The curtains in there are full of doxies too," Mrs. Weasley went on. "I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," said Sirius. Harry heard the sarcasm in his voice.

"Alicia," Sirius began and she scoffed without saying anything else. Sirius sighed and Harry looked at him.

"She's stubborn that sister of yours." he admitted

"I've got to get it from somewhere." she said before putting her fork in her mouth.

Opposite the Potter twins, Tonks was entertaining Hermione and Ginny by transforming her nose between mouthfuls. Screwing up her eyes each time with the same pained expression as usual. Her nose swelled to a beaklike protuberance like Snape's, shrank to something resembling a button mushroom, and then sprouted a great deal of hair from each nostril. As usual Hermione and Ginny started requesting their favourite noses.

"Do that one like a pig snout, Tonks…"

Tonks obliged, and Harry, looking up, had the fleeting impression that a female Dudley was grinning at him from across the table.

Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin were having an intense discussion about goblins.

"They're not giving anything away yet," said Bill. "I still can't work out whether they believe he's back or not. 'Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all. Keep out of it."

"I'm sure they'd never go over to You-Know-Who," said Mr. Weasley, shaking his head. "They've suffered losses too. Remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?"

"I think it depends what they're offered," said Lupin. "And I'm not talking about gold; if they're offered freedoms we've been denying them for centuries they're going to be tempted. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?"

"He's feeling pretty anti-wizard at the moment," said Bill. "He hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business, he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up, those goblins never got their gold from him, you know —"

A gale of laughter from the middle of the table drowned the rest of Bill's words. Fred, George, Ron, and Mundungus were rolling around in their seats.

"… and then," choked Mundungus, tears running down his face, "and then, if you'll believe it, 'e says to me, 'e says, ' 'ere, Dung, where didja get all them toads from? 'Cos some son of a Bludger's gone and nicked all mine!' And I says, 'Nicked all your toads, Will, what next? So you'll be wanting some more, then?' And if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for twice what 'e paid in the first place —"

"I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus," said Mrs. Weasley sharply, as Ron slumped forward onto the table, howling with laughter.

"Beg pardon, Molly," said Mundungus at once, wiping his eyes and winking at Harry. "But, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place so I wasn't really doing nothing wrong —"

"I don't know where you learned about right and wrong, Mundungus, but you seem to have missed a few crucial lessons," said Mrs. Weasley coldly.

Fred and George buried their faces in their goblets of butterbeer; George was hiccuping. For some reason, Mrs. Weasley threw a very nasty look at Sirius before getting to her feet and going to fetch a large rhubarb crumble for pudding. Harry looked round at his godfather.

"Molly doesn't approve of Mundungus," said Sirius in an undertone.

"He's not exactly noble." Alicia muttered

"How come he's in the Order?" Harry said very quietly.

"He's useful," Sirius muttered. "Knows all the crooks — well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly thinks inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. She hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you."

"You should have seen her when he turned up. Of course it was Dung that made everyone believe me when I told them what happened." Alicia said "But she was furious."

Three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard later and Mr. Weasley was leaning back in his chair, looking replete and relaxed, Tonks was yawning widely, her nose now back to normal, and Ginny, who had lured Crookshanks out from under the dresser, was sitting cross-legged on the floor, rolling butterbeer corks for him to chase.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," said Mrs. Weasley on a yawn.

"Not just yet, Molly," said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

The atmosphere in the room changed, where seconds before it had been sleepily relaxed, it was now alert, even tense. A frisson had gone around the table at the mention of Voldemort's name. Lupin, who had been about to take a sip of wine, lowered his goblet slowly, looking wary.

Harry looked at Alicia who in turn was looking at Sirius with the most utmost annoyance Harry had ever seen on her face.

"I did!" said Harry indignantly. "I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so —"

"And they're quite right," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're too young."

She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched upon its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.

"Mrs Weasley you do not get to make that decision for Harry and I." Alicia said yet again looking angry.

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" asked Sirius. "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen —" Alicia sat back, her eyes closed as she looked like she was trying to contain her anger, her fists balled up on the table. She took several deep breaths and Harry stroked her arm, trying to keep her calm.

"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" said Fred angrily.

"We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" said George.

"' _You're too young, you're not in the Orde_ r,'" said Fred, in a highpitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," said Sirius calmly.

"Then what about Alicia!?" Fred demanded

"That's your parents' decision." Sirius continued "Harry, on the other hand —"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply. Her normally kindly face looked dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely, but with an air as though readying himself for a fight.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he _needs to know_ ," said Mrs. Weasley, placing a heavy emphasis on the last three words.

Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George's heads turned from Sirius to Mrs. Weasley as though following a tennis rally. Ginny was kneeling amid a pile of abandoned butterbeer corks, watching the conversation with her mouth slightly open. Lupin's eyes were fixed on Sirius.

"I don't intend to tell him more than he _needs to know_ , Molly," said Sirius. "But as he and Alicia were the ones who saw Voldemort come back" (again, there was a collective shudder around the table at the name), "They have more right than most to —"

"They're not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" said Mrs. Weasley. "They're only fifteen and —"

"— and both have dealt with as much as most in the Order," said Sirius, "and more than some —"

"No one's denying what either have done!" said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But he's still —"

"He's not a child!" said Sirius impatiently.

"He's not an adult either!" said Mrs. Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. "He's not _James_ , Sirius!"

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," said Sirius coldly.

"I'm not sure you are!" said Mrs. Weasley. "Sometimes, the way you talk about him, it's as though you think you've got your best friend back!"

"What's wrong with that?" said Harry.

"What's wrong, Harry, is that you are _not_ your father, however much you might look like him!" said Mrs. Weasley, her eyes still boring into Sirius. "You are still at school and adults responsible for you should not forget it!"

"We get into all of our trouble at school remember!" Alicia said but she was ignored.

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" demanded Sirius, his voice rising.

"Meaning you've been known to act rashly, Sirius, which is why Dumbledore keeps reminding you to stay at home and —"

"We'll leave my instructions from Dumbledore out of this, if you please!" said Sirius loudly.

Both stopped as Alicia suddenly slammed her hands down hard on the table and stood to her feet angrily, angry at being ignored.

"Excuse me!" she shouted and everyone looked at her before she turned to Sirius "Are you fricken kidding me?!" she snapped "I'm glad you think I deserve to know but I've been here for two fricken weeks!?" she seethed.

"There's a difference between having Harry hear it first hand or through you."

"So you're telling me now, after two weeks, only because Harry's here?" she asked

"Yes. I'd rather tell him in person that have it transferred through you."

"And you decided not to even bother making that agreement with me because!?"

"Because I knew it would do nothing to placate you." Sirius admitted "Besides you already knew more than any of the others, and that was without us needing to tell you anything." he added on when Mrs Weasley looked about to explode.

"So you were just going to have me frustrate over whether my theories were correct or not?"

"That wasn't my intention. I planned on telling you and Harry, as you tried so hard to tell him yourself, I assumed he'd be here in order for me to do so. And now he is." Sirius said

Alicia sat back down but Harry felt the need to inch away from her from the look on her face. It seemed to be screaming pure murder to whoever dared look at her.

"What do you mean she knows more!?" Mrs Weasley questioned

"Alicia's smart, she knows how to connect the dots and the small pieces of information." Sirius said simply "Her theories are rather spot on if I'm being honest and I'd rather confirm all of that then have her running into trouble to prove them."

"Arthur!" said Mrs. Weasley, rounding on her husband. "Arthur, back me up!"

Mr. Weasley did not speak at once. He took off his glasses and cleaned them slowly on his robes, not looking at his wife. Only when he had replaced them carefully on his nose did he say, "Dumbledore knows the position has changed, Molly. He accepts that both Alicia and Harry will have to be filled in to a certain extent now that Harry is staying at headquarters —"

"Yes, but there's a difference between that and inviting him to ask whatever he likes!"

"Personally," said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs. Weasley turned quickly to him, hopeful that finally she was about to get an ally, "I think it better that Harry gets the facts — not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture — from us, rather than a garbled version from… others. Even Alicia's theories are just that."

Alicia knew Lupin didn't expect the Extendable Ears were all gone. After all, he was one of the best troublemakers just like the twins were when he was a student. He'd know how they thought.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for support that did not come, "well… I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart —"

"He's not your son," said Sirius quietly.

"He's as good as," said Mrs. Weasley fiercely. "Who else has he got?" Alicia stared at her as though she wanted to both rip into the women and cry at the same time.

"Hello!" she snapped "I happen to be his only blood relative!"

"You're not an adult!"

"I'm as smart as one." she snapped

"He's got me!" Sirius said

"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley, her lip curling. "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

Sirius started to rise from his chair.

"That's not his fault!" Alicia snapped, standing up herself "And you do not get to pin that on Sirius." she said and Mrs Weasley looked at her just as angrily. Alicia could see right there that all of the anger the women had felt to her the last two weeks was coming to the surface. She wouldn't have been surprised if she started screaming hoarse at her.

"Molly, you're not the only person at this table who cares about Harry or even Alicia," said Lupin sharply. "Alicia, Sirius, sit d _own_."

Mrs. Weasley's lower lip was trembling. Sirius sank slowly back into his chair, his face white. Before Alicia took a deep breath and sat back down also.

"I think Harry ought to be allowed a say in this," Lupin continued. "He's old enough to decide for himself. And we all know Alicia's opinion."

"I want to know what's been going on," Harry said at once.

"Very well," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice cracking. "Ginny — Ron — Hermione — Fred — George — I want you out of this kitchen, now."

There was instant uproar.

"We're of age!" Fred and George bellowed together.

"If Harry's allowed, why can't I?" shouted Ron.

"Mum, I _want_ to!" wailed Ginny.

"NO!" shouted Mrs. Weasley, standing up, her eyes overbright. "I absolutely forbid —"

"Molly, you can't stop Fred and George," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "They are of age —"

"They're still at school —"

"But they're legally adults now," said Mr. Weasley in the same tired voice.

Mrs. Weasley was now scarlet in the face.

"I — oh, all right then, Fred and George can stay, but Ron —"

"Harry and Alicia'll tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!" said Ron hotly. "Won't — won't you?" he added uncertainly, meeting Harry's eyes.

Harry and Alicia shared a look and Alicia knew exactly what he was thinking. He was angry for being kept in the dark by the two, so maybe he wouldn't, but then again…

" 'Course we will," Harry said. Ron and Hermione beamed.

"Fine!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Fine! Ginny — BED!"

Ginny did not go quietly. They could hear her raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and when she reached the hall Mrs. Black's earsplitting shrieks were added to the din. Lupin hurried off to the portrait to restore calm.

Alicia took a deep breath trying to calm herself down from her anger and when Lupin had returned, closing the kitchen door behind him and taking his seat at the table again, did Sirius speak.

"Okay, Harry… what do you want to know?"

Harry took a deep breath and asked the question that Alicia could tell he would have been obsessing him for a month.

"Where's Voldemort? What's he doing? I've been trying to watch the Muggle news," he said, ignoring the renewed shudders and winces at the name, "and there hasn't been anything that looks like him yet, no funny deaths or anything —"

"That's because there haven't been any suspicious deaths yet," said Sirius, "not as far as we know, anyway… And we know quite a lot."

"More than he thinks we do anyway," said Lupin.

"How come he's stopped killing people?" Harry asked.

"Because he doesn't want to draw attention to himself at the moment," said Sirius. "It would be dangerous for him." Harry looked at Alicia

"Yeah, that's what I said a month ago." she nodded.

"His comeback didn't come off quite the way he wanted it to, you see." Sirius continued "He messed it up."

"Or rather, you two messed it up for him," said Lupin with a satisfied smile.

"How?" Harry asked perplexedly.

"You weren't supposed to survive!" said Sirius. "Nobody apart from his Death Eaters was supposed to know he'd come back. But you two survived to bear witness."

"And the very last person he wanted alerted to his return the moment he got back was Dumbledore," said Lupin. "And you made sure Dumbledore knew at once."

"How has that helped?" Harry asked.

"Are you kidding?" said Bill incredulously. "Dumbledore was the only one You-Know-Who was ever scared of!"

"Thanks to you, Dumbledore was able to recall the Order of the Phoenix about an hour after Voldemort returned," said Sirius.

"Which means Voldemort doesn't have a head start." Alicia added to Harry and the Order members nodded.

"So what's the Order been doing?" said Harry, looking around at them all.

"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort can't carry out his plans," said Sirius.

"How d'you know what his plans are?" Harry asked quickly.

"Well for one Snape's tattle tailing." Alicia shrugged and the others all looked at her, the majority of them surprised. "I'm smart. I know the guy was a Death Eater and he's imposing on them again." Lupin sighed and nodded.

"Dumbledore's also got a shrewd idea," he said turning back to Harry, "and Dumbledore's shrewd ideas normally turn out to be accurate."

"So what does Dumbledore reckon he's planning?"

Alicia sighed and slumped. Didn't they know that already? Dumbledore had sent people on missions answering this questions last year right in front of them after all.

"Well, firstly, he wants to build up his army again," said Sirius. "In the old days he had huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards he'd bullied or bewitched into following him, his faithful Death Eaters, a great variety of Dark creatures."

"Giants Harry, the dementors, werewolves, witches and wizards." Alicia listed gaining Harry's attention and cutting Sirius off. Bill, Mr Weasley and Tonks looked at the girl surprised but Sirius nodded

"You heard him planning to recruit the giants; well, they'll be just one group he's after. He's certainly not going to try and take on the Ministry of Magic with only a dozen Death Eaters."

"So you're trying to stop him getting more followers?"

"We're doing our best," said Lupin.

"How?"

"Well, the main thing is to try and convince as many people as possible that You-Know-Who really has returned, to put them on their guard," said Bill. "It's proving tricky, though."

"Why?"

"Because of the Ministry's attitude," said Tonks. "You saw Cornelius Fudge after You-Know-Who came back, Harry. Well, he hasn't shifted his position at all. He's absolutely refusing to believe it's happened."

"Another reason he's controlling the Daily Prophet." Alicia said annoyed

"But why?" said Harry desperately. "Why's he being so stupid? If Dumbledore —"

"Ah, well, you've put your finger on the problem," said Mr. Weasley with a wry smile. " _Dumbledore._ "

"Fudge is frightened of him, you see," said Tonks sadly.

"Frightened of Dumbledore?" said Harry incredulously.

"Frightened of what he's up to," said Mr. Weasley. "You see, Fudge thinks Dumbledore's plotting to overthrow him. He thinks Dumbledore wants to be Minister of Magic."

"I'm sorry, what?" Alicia asked amused by the stupidity of the belief.

"But Dumbledore doesn't want —"

"Of course he doesn't," said Mr. Weasley. "He's never wanted the Minister's job, even though a lot of people wanted him to take it when Millicent Bagnold retired. Fudge came to power instead, but he's never quite forgotten how much popular support Dumbledore had, even though Dumbledore never applied for the job."

"Deep down, Fudge knows Dumbledore's much cleverer than he is, a much more powerful wizard, and in the early days of his Ministry he was forever asking Dumbledore for help and advice," said Lupin. "But it seems that he's become fond of power now, and much more confident. He loves being Minister of Magic, and he's managed to convince himself that he's the clever one and Dumbledore's simply stirring up trouble for the sake of it."

"How can he think that?" said Harry angrily. "How can he think Dumbledore would just make it all up — that I'd make it all up? Or even Alicia?"

"Because accepting that Voldemort's back would mean trouble like the Ministry hasn't had to cope with for nearly fourteen years," said Sirius bitterly. "Fudge just can't bring himself to face it. It's so much more comfortable to convince himself Dumbledore's lying to destabilise him."

"You see the problem," said Lupin. "While the Ministry insists there is nothing to fear from Voldemort, it's hard to convince people he's back, especially as they really don't want to believe it in the first place. What's more, the Ministry's leaning heavily on the _Daily Prophet_ not to report any of what they're calling Dumbledore's rumourmongering, so most of the Wizarding community are completely unaware anything's happened, and that makes them easy targets for the Death Eaters if they're using the Imperius Curse."

"But you're telling people, aren't you?" said Harry, looking around at Mr. Weasley, Sirius, Bill, Mundungus, Lupin, and Tonks. "You're letting people know he's back?"

They all smiled humourlessly.

"Well, as everyone thinks I'm a mad mass murderer and the Ministry's put a ten-thousand-Galleon price on my head, I can hardly stroll up the street and start handing out leaflets, can I?" said Sirius restlessly.

"And I'm not a very popular dinner guest with most of the community," said Lupin. "It's an occupational hazard of being a werewolf."

"Tonks and Arthur would lose their jobs at the Ministry if they started shooting their mouths off," said Sirius, "and it's very important for us to have spies inside the Ministry, because you can bet Voldemort will have them."

"We've managed to convince a couple of people, though," said Mr. Weasley. "Tonks here, for one — she's too young to have been in the Order of the Phoenix last time, and having Aurors on our side is a huge advantage — Kingsley Shacklebolt's been a real asset too. He's in charge of the hunt for Sirius, so he's been feeding the Ministry information that Sirius is in Tibet."

"But if none of you's putting the news out that Voldemort's back —" Harry began.

"Who said none of us was putting the news out?" said Sirius. "Why d'you think Dumbledore's in such trouble?"

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked.

"They're trying to discredit him," said Lupin. "Didn't you see the _Daily Prophet_ last week? They reported that he'd been voted out of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards because he's getting old and losing his grip, but it's not true, he was voted out by Ministry wizards after he made a speech announcing Voldemort's return. They've demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot — that's the Wizard High Court — and they're talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too."

"But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog cards," said Bill, grinning.

"It's no laughing matter," said Mr. Weasley shortly. "If he carries on defying the Ministry like this, he could end up in Azkaban and the last thing we want is Dumbledore locked up. While You-Know-Who knows Dumbledore's out there and wise to what he's up to, he's going to go cautiously for a while. If Dumbledore's out of the way — well, You-Know-Who will have a clear field."

"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters, it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?" asked Harry desperately.

"Voldemort doesn't march up to people's houses and bang on their front doors, Harry," said Sirius. "He tricks, jinxes, and blackmails them. He's well-practiced at operating in secrecy. In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he's interested in, he's got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he's concentrating on them at the moment."

"What's he after apart from followers?" Harry asked swiftly.

Sirius and Lupin exchanged the most fleeting of looks which both twins caught before Sirius said, "Stuff he can only get by stealth." When Harry continued to look puzzled, Sirius said, "Like a weapon. Something he didn't have last time."

"When he was powerful before?"

"Yes."

"Like what kind of weapon?" said Harry. "Something worse than the _Avada Kedavra_ — ?"

"Something that's in the Ministry apparently… but I don't understand what he could be so desperate for?" Alicia said turning from Harry to Sirius and Lupin.

"That's enough."

Mrs. Weasley spoke from the shadows beside the door. She had return from taking Ginny upstairs. Her arms were crossed and she looked furious.

"I want you in bed, now. All of you," she added, looking around at Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione.

"You can't boss us —" Fred began.

"Watch me," snarled Mrs. Weasley. She was trembling slightly as she looked at Sirius. "You've given Harry and Alicia plenty of information."

"You haven't told us anything." Alicia said "Nothing I didn't already guess anyway." she complained and a few looked at her as Mrs Weasley's nose flared.

"Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway." she turned her gaze from Alicia to Sirius

"Good!" Alicia said loudly

"Why not?" said Harry quickly. "I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight —"

"No." It was not Mrs. Weasley who spoke this time, but Lupin.

"The Order is comprised only of overage wizards," he said. "Wizards who have left school," he added, as Fred and George opened their mouths. "There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you… I think Molly's right, Sirius. We've said enough."

Sirius half-shrugged but did not argue.

Alicia sighed and stood to her feet.

"Personally I think we can handle it." but she wasn't angry or shooting looks, it was a casual belief "I mean Harry and I have only almost died how many times already? And they all happened at school." she sighed as Mrs. Weasley beckoned imperiously to her sons and Hermione. Sirius looked at her strongly.

"You shouldn't be in such a hurry to die." he said

"Not to die. To stop twiddling my thumbs." and she followed the others and Harry from the room.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

Mrs. Weasley followed them upstairs looking grim.

"I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking," she said as they reached the first landing. "We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep," she added to Hermione, "so try not to wake her up."

"Asleep, yeah, right," said Fred in an undertone, after Hermione bade them good night and they were climbing to the next floor. "If Ginny's not lying awake waiting for Hermione to tell her everything they said downstairs, then I'm a flobberworm…"

"All right, Ron, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley on the second landing, pointing them into their bedroom. "Off to bed with you."

" 'Night," Harry and Ron said to the twins.

"Night." Alicia waved.

"Sleep tight," said Fred, winking.

Mrs. Weasley closed the door behind Harry with a sharp snap as Alicia and the twins continued up to their room.

"You're coming to get me and we're all having a talk." Alicia hissed to the twins before she moved to her room. She gave them a final look before she shut her door.

Alicia changed quickly, locking her door and turning all the lights off, feeding Noel so she would be quiet as well and then sat on her bed.

Fred and George suddenly apparated into her room with a crack.

"Quick." she hissed

"You know it's harder in the dark, let alone with you."

"Practice makes perfect." Alicia said simply and she waited for the squeezing feeling when George and Fred both took her hands and disapparated.

Alicia landed on something soft but boney and was instantly aware of what it was.

"OUCH!"

"Keep your voice down, Ron, or Mum'll be back up here."

"You two just Apparated on my knees!"

"Yeah, well, it's harder in the dark —"

"Sorry Ron." Alicia said

"Alicia!" Ron hissed

"What?"

"Why are you here?"

"Yeah right, what a stupid question." she muttered as she got up and moved to sit on Harry's bed with him before George did the same.

"So, got there yet?" said George eagerly.

"The weapon Sirius mentioned?" said Harry.

"Let slip, more like," said Fred with relish, now sitting next to Ron.

"We didn't hear about _that_ on the old Extendables, did we?"

"Yeah we kinda did." Alicia disagreed

"When?"

"Remember they were asking Tonks what is was like and talking about how he was going to make sure the plan was full proof before he did anything?"

"They said nothing about a weapon."

"Well what else would he be breaking into the ministry for?"

"The ministry?" Harry whispered

"Well they're guarding it during the day and night, it's not Hogwarts because Voldemort would never infiltrate that himself while Dumbledore's around, the only next really guarded place that takes careful planning is the Ministry."

"How do you know he needs to be there?"

"Because Sirius told me it was something he need to collect himself or something." Alicia admitted

"What?!" Ron whisper shouted

"Why didn't you tell us!?"

"Because Harry was arriving and I was annoyed enough." Alicia muttered "And personally I found the talk this evening completely useless, everything they told us, other than the weapon, was all guessable or not even top secret enough to keep from us." she grumbled

"But what d'you reckon it is?" said Harry back on the topic of the weapon.

"Could be anything," said Fred.

"But there can't be anything worse than the _Avada Kedavra_ curse, can there?" said Ron. "What's worse than death?"

"Maybe it's something that can kill loads of people at once," suggested George.

"Maybe it's some particularly painful way of killing people," said Ron fearfully.

"He's got the Cruciatus Curse for causing pain," said Harry. "He doesn't need anything more efficient than that."

"I think it's something Dumbledore already knows about but Voldemort doesn't. After all Dumbledore's always one step ahead so he must know something important he doesn't. And seeing as we know where the weapon is and that it's obviously important…"

"Snape could have mentioned that." Ron offered

"Well clearly Voldemort needs it for something and it'll make him even more dangerous, personally I'm not sure if a weapon is as worrying as that." Alicia thought

"What else could it be then?"

"Information?" Alicia offered

"You think it's knowledge?" Fred scoffed

"I'm sorry, I know more than you all because of that. Knowledge is power, remember."

"Like what?"

"Like what Hagrid's up to." she smirked turning to George

"What?" they all whispered

"Yeah, Dumbledore called for him and Madam Maxime at the end of last year for a mission. Don't start dissing the idea that he could be after some sort of vital information." Alicia said seriously "I mean as Harry said he's got the Cruciatus Curse and he's got the Killing Curse. What weapon is worse than that?"

There was a pause as they all thought over that, wondering what other horrors of torture there could be.

"So who d'you thinks got it now?" asked George.

"I hope it's our side," said Ron, sounding slightly nervous.

"If it is, Dumbledore's probably keeping it," said Fred.

"Where?" said Ron quickly. "Hogwarts?"

"Bet it is!" said George.

"No, I still think it's at the Ministry." Alicia disagreed

"Well, that's where he hid the Philosopher's Stone!" George reminded her

"Yeah and look how well that turned out." Alicia smirked, "Voldemort almost had it and Harry and I ended up in the hospital wing."

"A weapon's going to be a lot bigger than the Stone, though!" said Ron.

"Not necessarily," said Fred.

"Yeah, size is no guarantee of power," said George. "Look at Ginny."

"What d'you mean?" said Harry.

"You've never been on the receiving end of one of her Bat-Bogey Hexes, have you?" Alicia chuckled.

"Shhh!" said Fred, half-rising from the bed. "Listen!"

They fell silent. Footsteps were coming up the stairs again.

"Mum," said George, Alicia grabbed his hand from beside her and instantly the two twins were out of there with a loud crack and Alicia felt the squeezing feeling and her air cut off from her lungs before she was back in her room, slamming into her mattress.

"Night Alicia." and with another crack George was gone also.

Alicia sighed and she heard the stairs creak and someone stop outside her door. She knew it was Mrs Weasley and ignored it.

 _So they told us the Ministry's reason for covering it all up, something that was guessable. They told us the hardships of spreading the news under the radar and they told us Voldemort is after something. I'm pretty sure out of everything, the only think I didn't know or guess was that Fudge thinks Dumbledore wants to be minister._ Alicia sighed as she pulled her blankets over the top of her.

"Then again they know not to tell me anything because I'll tell Harry. And that's what Dumbledore, for some stupid reason, doesn't want."

 _Now all that's left… is the hearing. Easy peasy…_

* * *

Alicia was up early the next morning and she sat down in the kitchen fully dressed with a hot cup of tea in her hand, absentmindedly twiddling the spoon around the mug. It seemed no one else was awake yet, but she expected Mrs Weasley would be up any minute, and Alicia didn't expect she'd be very happy to see Alicia of all people. Not only that but Alicia wasn't sure she wanted to see the women either.

 _Pinning Sirius' imprisonment on him like that. His best friend died because of someone he thought was a friend and he goes to hunt them down only to be tricked and end up in prison for twelve years. For a crime he didn't commit no less. It wasn't Sirius' fault he didn't get a trial._

 _And I do not understand what's so wrong about allowing us to know information anyway. Knowing what the Order is planning or doing is completely different from actually being in the Order after all._

"Well no one else seems to think that way." she muttered, staring at her half empty tea cup.

"You're up early." Alicia turned to see Lupin walking into the kitchen, a newspaper in his hand.

"Too much brain activity I guess." she sighed

"Still thinking over the information from last night?" Lupin sighed as he sat down opposite her

"What information?" Alicia slumped her head into the palm of one of her hands, her elbow on the table "The only thing you told us last night that I didn't know was that Fudge thinks Dumbledore wants to be minister." she grumbled and Lupin looked her over carefully. "And how is that at all top secret?"

"Well good…" Lupin and Alicia stopped and turned to see Mrs Weasley walking in. "Morning." she finished in a mumble. The two turned away from one another quickly and Lupin sighed as the girl got up from her seat and headed to the door.

"Alicia if you could go and wake the girls up that would be helpful. I want to tackle the doxies in the drawing room." Mrs Weasley said without turning to her. "And wake the boys up also wont you." Alicia said nothing but left with a glance at Lupin, making her way up the stairs.

Hermione was already awake, though in her pyjama's still while Ginny was mumbling in her sleep.

"Mrs Weasley wants everyone awake to clean out the drawing room." Alicia said and Hermione nodded before throwing a pillow at Ginny.

"Ginny wake up." she yawned. A groan left Ginny's bed as Alicia chuckled and left to go up a floor to the twins room. Typically they were awake and Alicia opened the door with a hand over her eyes.

"Are we decent?" she asked with a grin and the two snickered as Alicia peaked through her fingers and lowered her hand.

"Your mother wants you up and dressed for breakfast and to clean the drawing room. We're getting rid of the doxies."

"Excellent!" Fred beamed

"We want to use those doxies." George admitted

"Something poisonous, why does that not surprise me?" Alicia sighed before turning and closing the door behind her to move down to the other two boys' room. Ron and Harry were both still fast asleep.

"Oi!" she snapped and she hit Ron's head slightly, the boy jumping up to a sitting position in surprise before she went and shook Harry.

"Harry get up!" she said

"Alicia what are you doing?" Ron muttered lying back down

"You're mother's instructed me to wake you all up." Alicia said simply "So come on, move your ass. We're cleaning out the doxies in the drawing room."

The door creaked as Fred poked his head in.

"We're also having breakfast, mum's shouting that it's ready." he said and Alicia could tell he knew by the extendable ear he always seemed to have attached to his ear.

"You're really risking those things for no reason aren't you." Alicia sighed as she walked away from Harry's bed, the boy having yawned and sat up.

"Well who knows what they'll let slip when we're not around."

"Not very much unless Mrs Weasley's scolding Sirius or complaining about my attitude." Alicia rolled her eyes.

Half an hour later Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, and George, and Alicia were grouped in the long, high-ceilinged room on the first floor with olive-green walls covered in dirty tapestries. The carpet exhaled little clouds of dust every time someone put their foot on it and the long, moss-green velvet curtains were buzzing as though swarming with invisible bees. The eight of them were all standing before the long curtains, tying cloths over their noses and mouths. Mrs Weasley handed out large bottles of black liquid, nozzles at the end.

"I thought you weren't helping?" Fred said to Alicia

"I said I'd help if I was told information." Alicia corrected "They didn't tell me much new information but they still tried." she shrugged as the door opened and Harry and Ron walked in.

"Cover your faces and take a spray," Mrs. Weasley said to two boy. She pointed to two more bottles of black liquid standing on a spindle-legged table. "It's Doxycide. I've never seen an infestation this bad — what that house-elf's been doing for the last ten years —"

Hermione's face was half concealed by a tea towel but the reproachful look they all knew existed was thrown at Mrs. Weasley at her words.

"Kreacher's really old, he probably couldn't manage —"

"You'd be surprised what Kreacher can manage when he wants to, Hermione," said Sirius, who had just entered the room carrying a bloodstained bag of what appeared to be dead rats. "I've just been feeding Buckbeak," he added, in reply to Harry's inquiring look. "I keep him upstairs in my mother's bedroom."

"Shows how much he didn't like her, covering her room in blood and allowing Buckbeak to rip everything." Alicia added, earning a look from Sirius

"Anyway… this writing desk…"

He dropped the bag of rats onto an armchair, then bent over to examine the locked cabinet which was shaking slightly.

"Well, Molly, I'm pretty sure this is a boggart," said Sirius, peering through the keyhole, "but perhaps we ought to let Mad-Eye have a shifty at it before we let it out — knowing my mother it could be something much worse."

"Right you are, Sirius," said Mrs. Weasley.

They were both speaking in carefully light, polite voices that Alicia assumed was used to express that neither had forgotten their disagreement of the night before.

A loud, clanging bell sounded from downstairs, followed at once by the cacophony of screams and wails of Mrs Black.

"I keep telling them not to ring the doorbell!" said Sirius exasperatedly, hurrying back out of the room. They heard him thundering down the stairs as Mrs. Black's screeches echoed up through the house once more: "Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth…"

"I'm actually so glad I never met that women…" Alicia muttered

"Close the door, please, Harry," said Mrs. Weasley.

The twins, Ron and Alicia all listened extra quietly as Harry took as long as he could to close the door. Hermione and Ginny listened intently, pretending to be playing with their nozzles as Mrs Weasley watched Harry with beady eyes.

Sirius walking down the hall, then the clattering of the chain on the front door, and then a deep voice they recognised as Kingsley Shacklebolt's spoke.

"Hestia's just relieved me, so she's got Moody's cloak now, thought I'd leave a report for Dumbledore…"

Mrs Weasley stared at the back of Harry's head, her eyes narrowing and the boy, having probably felt her eyes, closed the door and walked back over to them. With the door closed and none of the teenagers trying to ears drop Mrs Weasley turned back to her book, one of Gilderoy Lockhart's novels, Guide to Household Pests.

"Right, you lot, you need to be careful, because doxies bite and their teeth are poisonous. I've got a bottle of antidote here, but I'd rather nobody needed it." Mrs Weasley said, reading the book. She straightened up, positioned herself squarely in front of the curtains, and beckoned them all forward to join her.

"When I say the word, start spraying immediately," she said. "They'll come flying out at us, I expect, but it says on the sprays one good squirt will paralyse them. When they're immobilised, just throw them in this bucket."

The group of them lined up facing the curtains, their cloths on their mouths secured and their nozzles ready as Mrs Weasley stepped carefully out of their line of fire and raised her own spray.

"All right — _squirt_!"

As soon as the doxicide hit the curtains, suddenly full grown doxies came soaring out of the folds in the material, shiny beetlelike wings whirring, tiny needle-sharp teeth bared, its fairylike body covered with thick black hair and its four tiny fists clenched with fury. Harry caught one full in the face with a blast of Doxycide; it froze in midair and fell, with a surprisingly loud _thunk_ , onto the worn carpet below. Harry picked it up and threw it in the bucket. Alicia sprayed everywhere in front of her as the little creatures jumped out and several just fell from the curtains without getting anywhere.

"Fred, what are you doing?" said Mrs. Weasley sharply. "Spray that at once and throw it away!" Fred was holding a struggling doxy between his forefinger and thumb.

"Right-o," Fred said brightly, spraying the doxy quickly in the face so that it fainted, but the moment Mrs. Weasley's back was turned he pocketed it with a wink.

"We want to experiment with doxy venom for our Skiving Snackboxes," George told Harry under his breath who was looking at them in question

"Of course you do." Alicia muttered "I am not taking anything with doxy poison in it." she hissed at them, earning a raised eyebrow from Harry. He deftly sprayed two doxies at once as they soared straight for his nose before Harry moved closer to George

"What are Skiving Snackboxes?" he muttered, making sure not to catch Mrs Weasley's ear.

"Range of sweets to make you ill," George whispered, keeping a wary eye on Mrs. Weasley's back. "Not seriously ill, mind, just ill enough to get you out of a class when you feel like it. Fred and I have been developing them this summer. They're double-ended, colour-coded chews. If you eat the orange half of the Puking Pastilles, you throw up. Moment you've been rushed out of the lesson for the hospital wing, you swallow the purple half —"

" '— which restores you to full fitness, enabling you to pursue the leisure activity of your own choice during an hour that would otherwise have been devoted to unprofitable boredom.' That's what we're putting in the adverts, anyway," whispered Fred, who had edged over out of Mrs. Weasley's line of vision and was now sweeping a few stray doxies from the floor and adding them to his pocket. "But they still need a bit of work."

"A bit?" Alicia grumbled and Fred grinned at her before turning back to Harry

"At the moment our testers are having a bit of trouble stopping puking long enough to swallow the purple end."

"Or the purple end just doesn't work at all and their nose bleeds on end like a tap." Alicia muttered, spraying a doxy and throwing it into the bucket.

"Testers?"

"Us," said Fred. "We take it in turns. George did the Fainting Fancies — Alicia tried the Nosebleed Nougat —"

"Mum thought we'd been dulling and she got hit by a stray spell," said George.

"Let's not forget the puss filled balls you caused to appear on my face." she said angrily and the two smiled guilty

"Yeah, we're sorry about that one." Fred assured, patting her shoulder. She shoved him off.

"I don't think I've ever seen Alicia so angry before." George muttered to Harry, looking at the girl with worry. Harry smirked slightly.

"Joke shop still on, then?" Harry muttered, pretending to be adjusting the nozzle on his spray.

"Well, we haven't had a chance to get premises yet," said Fred, dropping his voice even lower as Mrs. Weasley mopped her brow with her scarf before returning to the attack, "so we're running it as a mail order service at the moment. We put advertisements in the _Daily Prophet_ last week."

"All thanks to you, mate," said George. "But don't worry… Mum hasn't got a clue. She won't read the _Daily Prophet_ anymore, 'cause of it telling lies about you and Dumbledore."

Harry grinned. He had forced the Weasley twins to take the thousand-Galleon prize money he had won in the Triwizard Tournament to help them realise their ambition to open a joke shop, but he was still glad to know that his part in furthering their plans was unknown to Mrs. Weasley, who did not think that running a joke shop was a suitable career for two of her sons.

"If she knew we'd helped you out she'd hate me even more than she already does." Alicia said looking at the women.

"I don't even know if that's possible." George grinned.

The de-doxying of the curtains took most of the morning. It was past midday when Mrs. Weasley finally removed her protective scarf, sank into a sagging armchair, and sprang up again with a cry of disgust, having sat on the bag of dead rats. The curtains were no longer buzzing; they hung limp and damp from the intensive spraying; unconscious doxies lay crammed in the bucket at the foot of them beside a bowl of their black eggs, at which Crookshanks was now sniffing and Fred and George were shooting covetous looks.

"I think we'll tackle _those_ after lunch."

Mrs. Weasley pointed at the dusty glass-fronted cabinets standing on either side of the mantelpiece. They were crammed with an odd assortment of objects: a selection of rusty daggers, claws, a coiled snakeskin, a number of tarnished silver boxes inscribed with foreign languages and, least pleasant of all, an ornate crystal bottle with a large opal set into the stopper, full of what looked very much like blood.

The clanging doorbell rang again. Everyone looked at Mrs. Weasley.

"Stay here," she said firmly, snatching up the bag of rats as Mrs. Blacks screeches started up again from down below. "I'll bring up some sandwiches."

She left the room, closing the door carefully behind her and Alicia was first to the window. Everyone look down onto the doorstep to discover who had arrived. They could see the top of an unkempt gingery head and a stack of precariously balanced cauldrons.

"Mundungus!" said Hermione. "What's he brought all those cauldrons for?"

"Probably looking for a safe place to keep them," said Harry.

"Yeah somewhere they wont get nicked by someone else." Alicia agreed

"Isn't that what he was doing the night he was supposed to be tailing me? Picking up dodgy cauldrons?"

"Yeah, you're right!" said Fred, as the front door opened; Mundungus heaved his cauldrons through it and disappeared from view. "Blimey, Mum won't like that…"

"Quick, she'll start shouting any minute!" Alicia grinned. She, Fred and George crossed to the door and stood beside it, listening intently. Mrs. Black's screaming had stopped again.

"Mundungus is talking to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred muttered, frowning with concentration. "Can't hear properly d'you reckon we can risk the Extendable Ears?"

"Might be worth it," said George. "I could sneak upstairs and get a pair —"

But at that precise moment there was an explosion of sound from downstairs that rendered Extendable Ears quite unnecessary. All of them could hear exactly what Mrs. Weasley was shouting at the top of her voice.

"WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"

"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," said Fred, with a satisfied smile on his face as he opened the door an inch or so to allow Mrs. Weasley's voice to permeate the room better. "It makes such a nice change."

"I'll say." Alicia muttered as she peaked through the door

"— COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE —"

"The idiots are letting her get into her stride," said George, shaking his head. "You've got to head her off early, otherwise she builds up a head of steam and goes on for hours."

"You've learnt that haven't you Alicia?" Fred grinned and the girl shot him a glare.

"And she's been dying to have a go at Mundungus ever since he sneaked off when he was supposed to be following you, Harry — and there goes Sirius's mum again —"

Mrs. Weasley's voice was lost amid fresh shrieks and screams from the portraits in the hall. George made to shut the door to drown the noise, but before he could do so, Kreacher edged into the room.

Except for the filthy rag tied like a loincloth around his middle, Kreacher was completely naked. He was also very old. His skin seemed to be several times too big for him and though he was bald like all house-elves, there was a quantity of white hair growing out of its large, batlike ears. Both Kreacher's eyes were a bloodshot and watery grey, and its fleshy nose was large and rather snoutlike.

As per usual, Kreacher took absolutely no notice of the teens. Acting as though he could not see them, he shuffled hunchbacked, slowly and doggedly, toward the far end of the room, muttering under its breath all the while in a hoarse, deep voice like a bullfrog's.

"… Smells like a drain and a criminal to boot, but she's no better, nasty old blood traitor with her brats messing up my Mistress's house, oh my poor Mistress, if she knew, if she knew the scum they've let in her house, what would she say to old Kreacher, oh the shame of it, Mudbloods and werewolves and traitors and thieves, poor old Kreacher, what can he do…"

"Hello, Kreacher," said Fred very loudly, closing the door with a snap.

The house-elf froze in his tracks, stopped muttering, and then gave a very pronounced and very unconvincing start of surprise.

"Kreacher did not see Young Master," he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Still facing the carpet, he added, perfectly audibly, "Nasty little brat of a blood traitor it is."

"Sorry?" said George. "Didn't catch that last bit."

"Kreacher said nothing," said the elf, with a second bow to George, adding in a clear undertone, "and there's its twin, unnatural little beasts they are."

Alicia snorted slightly to repress her laugh and George gave her a look, she simply winked at him.

The elf straightened up, eyeing them all very malevolently, and apparently convinced that they could not hear him as he continued to mutter.

"… and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass, oh if my Mistress knew, oh how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name, what is he doing here, Kreacher doesn't know…"

"This is Harry, Kreacher," said Hermione tentatively. "Harry Potter."

Kreacher's pale eyes widened and he muttered faster and more furiously than ever.

"The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend, if Kreacher's Mistress saw him in such company, oh what would she say —"

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" said Ron and Ginny together, very angrily.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione whispered, "he's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's —"

"Don't kid yourself, Hermione, he knows exactly what he's saying," said Fred, eyeing Kreacher with great dislike.

Kreacher was still muttering, his eyes on Harry.

"Is it true? Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar, it must be true, both the Potter children who surprised the Dark Lord. That's that boy who stopped the Dark Lord, Kreacher wonders how he did it —"

"Don't we all, Kreacher?" said Fred.

"What do you want anyway?" George asked.

Kreacher's huge eyes darted onto George.

"Kreacher is cleaning," he said evasively.

"A likely story," said a voice behind Harry. Sirius had come back; he was glowering at the elf from the doorway. The noise in the hall had abated; perhaps Mrs. Weasley and Mundungus had moved their argument down into the kitchen. At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snoutlike nose on the floor.

"Stand up straight," said Sirius impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black —"

"— and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," said Sirius.

"Master always liked his little joke," said Kreacher, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart —"

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius snapped. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."

Kreacher bowed again and said, "Whatever Master says," then muttered furiously, "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was —"

"I asked you what you were up to," said Sirius coldly. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out."

"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," said the elf, then muttered very fast, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it —"

"I thought it might be that," said Sirius, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall where a tapestry did hang. Alicia turned to it as well and, ignoring Sirius' distasteful look she walked over to it. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher."

It seemed that Kreacher did not dare disobey a direct order; nevertheless, the look he gave Sirius as he shuffled out past him was redolent of deepest loathing and he muttered all the way out of the room.

"— comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too —"

"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" said Sirius irritably, and he slammed the door shut on the elf.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," said Hermione pleadingly, "I don't think he realises we can hear him."

"He's been alone too long," said Sirius, "taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little —"

"If you just set him free," said Hermione hopefully, "maybe —"

"We can't set him free, he knows too much about the Order," said Sirius curtly. "And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it."

Sirius walked across the room, where the tapestry Kreacher had been trying to protect hung the length of the wall. Alicia was already eyeing the family tree that was embodied onto it as Harry and the others followed.

The tapestry looked immensely old; it was faded and looked as though doxies had gnawed it in places; nevertheless, the golden thread with which it was embroidered still glinted brightly enough to show them a sprawling family tree dating back to the Middle Ages. Large words at the very top of the tapestry read:

 **The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black "Toujours Pur"**

"You're not on here!" said Harry, after scanning the bottom of the tree.

"Shouldn't you be here?" Alicia asked pointing to a small blacked out hole in the tapestry

"I used to be there," said Sirius with a nod. His name had been burnt from the tapestry with something similar to a cigarette. "My sweet old mother blasted me off after I ran away from home — Kreacher's quite fond of muttering the story under his breath."

"You ran away from home?"

"I don't blame you." Alicia muttered

"When I was about sixteen," said Sirius. "I'd had enough."

"Where did you go?" asked Harry, staring at him.

"Your dad's place," said Sirius. "Your grandparents were really good about it; they sort of adopted me as a second son. Yeah, I camped out at your dad's during the school holidays, and then when I was seventeen I got a place of my own, my Uncle Alphard had left me a decent bit of gold — he's been wiped off here too, that's probably why — anyway, after that I looked after myself. I was always welcome at Mr. and Mrs. Potter's for Sunday lunch, though."

"But… why did you… ?"

"Leave?" Sirius smiled bitterly and ran a hand through his long, unkempt hair. "Because I hated the whole lot of them: my parents, with their pure-blood mania, convinced that to be a Black made you practically royal… my idiot brother, soft enough to believe them … that's him."

Sirius jabbed a finger at the very bottom of the tree, at the name Regulus Black. A date of death (some fifteen years previously) followed the date of birth.

"He was younger than me," said Sirius, "and a much better son, as I was constantly reminded."

"But he died," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Sirius. "Stupid idiot… he joined the Death Eaters."

"You're kidding!" Both Alicia and Sirius turned to look at Harry surprised

"Really?" Alicia wondered

"Come on, Harry, haven't you seen enough of this house to tell what kind of wizards my family were?" said Sirius testily.

"Were — were your parents Death Eaters as well?"

"No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the Wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having purebloods in charge. They weren't alone either, there were quite a few people, before Voldemort showed his true colours, who thought he had the right idea about things… They got cold feet when they saw what he was prepared to do to get power, though. But I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."

"Was he killed by an Auror?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Oh no," said Sirius. "No, he was murdered by Voldemort. Or on Voldemort's orders, more likely, I doubt Regulus was ever important enough to be killed by Voldemort in person. From what I found out after he died, he got in so far, then panicked about what he was being asked to do and tried to back out. Well, you don't just hand in your resignation to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service or death."

"Lunch," said Mrs. Weasley's voice.

She was holding her wand high in front of her, balancing a huge tray loaded with sandwiches and cake on its tip. She was very red in the face and still looked angry. The others moved over to her, eager for some food, but Harry and Alicia remained with Sirius, who had bent closer to the tapestry.

"I haven't looked at this for years."

"You haven't been here for years." Alicia reminded him and the man chuckled slightly with a not.

"There's Phineas Nigellus… my great-great-grandfather, see? Least popular headmaster Hogwarts ever had… and Araminta Meliflua… cousin of my mother's… tried to force through a Ministry Bill to make Muggle-hunting legal… and dear Aunt Elladora… she started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry tea trays… of course, anytime the family produced someone halfway decent they were disowned. I see Tonks isn't on here. Maybe that's why Kreacher won't take orders from her — he's supposed to do whatever anyone in the family asks him…"

"You and Tonks are related?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah, her mother, Andromeda, was my favourite cousin," said Sirius, examining the tapestry carefully. "No, Andromeda's not on here either, look —" He pointed to another small round burn mark between two names, Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Andromeda's sisters are still here because they made lovely, respectable pure-blood marriages, but Andromeda married a Muggle-born, Ted Tonks, so —"

Sirius mimed blasting the tapestry with a wand and laughed sourly. Harry did not laugh, he was too busy staring at the names to the right of Andromeda's burn mark. A double line of gold embroidery linked Narcissa Black with Lucius Malfoy, and a single vertical gold line from their names led to the name Draco.

"You're related to the Malfoys!"

"The pure-blood families are all interrelated," said Sirius. "If you're only going to let your sons and daughters marry purebloods your choice is very limited, there are hardly any of us left. Molly and I are cousins by marriage and Arthur's something like my second cousin once removed. But there's no point looking for them on here — if ever a family was a bunch of blood traitors it's the Weasleys."

But Harry was now looking at the name to the left of Andromeda's burn: Bellatrix Black, which was connected by a double line to Rodolphus Lestrange.

"Lestrange…" Harry said aloud.

"They're in Azkaban," said Sirius shortly.

Harry looked at him curiously.

"Crouch." Alicia muttered and Harry looked at her while Sirius nodded

"Bellatrix and her husband Rodolphus came in with Barty Crouch, Junior," said Sirius in the same brusque voice. "Rodolphus's brother, Rabastan, was with them too."

"They tortured Neville's parents." Alicia muttered. She and Harry had seen Bellatrix Lestrange inside Dumbledore's Pensieve, the strange device in which thoughts and memories could be stored: a tall dark woman with heavy-lidded eyes, who had stood at her trial and proclaimed her continuing allegiance to Lord Voldemort, her pride that she had tried to find him after his downfall and her conviction that she would one day be rewarded for her loyalty.

"You never said she was your —"

"Does it matter if she's my cousin?" snapped Sirius. "As far as I'm concerned, they're not my family. She's certainly not my family. I haven't seen her since I was your age, unless you count a glimpse of her coming in to Azkaban. D'you think I'm proud of having relatives like her?"

"Sirius!" Alicia snapped at him for his tone. "And Harry, he's probably not proud of it." she reminded him.

"Sorry," said Harry quickly, "I didn't mean — I was just surprised, that's all —"

"It doesn't matter, don't apologise," Sirius mumbled at once. He turned away from the tapestry, his hands deep in his pockets. "I don't like being back here," he said, staring across the drawing room. "I never thought I'd be stuck in this house again."

"It's ideal for headquarters, of course," Sirius said. "My father put every security measure known to Wizard-kind on it when he lived here. It's Unplottable, so Muggles could never come and call — as if they'd have wanted to — and now Dumbledore's added his protection, you'd be hard put to find a safer house anywhere. Dumbledore's Secret-Keeper for the Order, you know — nobody can find headquarters unless he tells them personally where it is — that note Moody showed you last night, that was from Dumbledore…" Sirius gave a short, barklike laugh. "If my parents could see the use it was being put to now… well, my mother's portrait should give you some idea…" He scowled for a moment

"It's their fault for picking the minority of the wizard population." Alicia shrugged and Sirius smiled before he sighed.

"I wouldn't mind if I could just get out occasionally and do something useful. I've asked Dumbledore whether I can escort you to your hearing — as Snuffles, obviously — so I can give you a bit of moral support, what d'you think?" Harry's face instantly failed and Alicia turned to her god father with annoyance and shock.

"Don't you even think about it! Walking straight into the ministry?!" she hissed and Sirius chuckled slightly before he turned to Harry. Alicia did the same and they watched as the boy stared at everyone eating their sandwiches. Knowing that Sirius' words had just freaked Harry out Alicia gave Sirius a glare and he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," Sirius said. Harry looked up and realised that the two had been watching him. "I'm sure they're going to clear you, there's definitely something in the International Statute of Secrecy about being allowed to use magic to save your own life."

"But if they do expel me," said Harry, quietly, "can I come back here and live with you?"

Sirius smiled sadly and Alicia turned her face away with a frown. She knew Dumbledore would never allow it, after all Harry was safer with the Dursleys at least until he came of age.

 _Harry spending full time with the Dursleys now there's something to laugh about._ she thought. "We'll see."

"I'd feel a lot better about the hearing if I knew I didn't have to go back to the Dursleys," Harry pressed him.

"They must be bad if you prefer this place," said Sirius gloomily.

"Here's where everyone he cares about is. It doesn't matter about the building." Alicia said "Also, he didn't have an awful childhood here." she added

"Hurry up, you three, or there won't be any food left," Mrs. Weasley called.

Sirius heaved another great sigh, cast a dark look at the tapestry as Alicia moved over to the others, Sirius and Harry following her.

Their next job involved emptying the glass cabinets. Many of the objects in them were very reluctant to leave their dusty shelves. Sirius sustained a bad bite from a silver snuffbox; within seconds, his bitten hand had developed an unpleasant crusty covering like a tough brown glove.

"It's okay," he said, examining the hand with interest before tapping it lightly with his wand and restoring its skin to normal, "must be Wartcap powder in there."

He threw the box aside into the sack where they were depositing the debris from the cabinets; George quickly wrapped his own hand carefully in a cloth moments later and sneak the box into his already doxy-filled pocket. Both twins gave Alicia a grin when they saw she'd noticed. They found an unpleasant-looking silver instrument, something like a many-legged pair of tweezers, which scuttled up Harry's arm like a spider when he picked it up, and attempted to puncture his skin; Sirius seized it and smashed it with a heavy book entitled _Nature's Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy_. There was a musical box that emitted a faintly sinister, tinkling tune when wound, and they all found themselves becoming curiously weak and sleepy until Ginny had the sense to slam the lid shut; also a heavy locket that none of them could open, a number of ancient seals and, in a dusty box, an Order of Merlin, First Class, that had been awarded to Sirius's grand-father for "Services to the Ministry."

"It means he gave them a load of gold," said Sirius contemptuously, throwing the medal into the rubbish sack.

Several times, Kreacher sidled into the room and attempted to smuggle things away under his loincloth, muttering horrible curses every time they caught him at it. When Sirius wrested a large golden ring bearing the Black crest from his grip Kreacher actually burst into furious tears and left the room sobbing under his breath and calling Sirius names they had never heard before.

"It was my father's," said Sirius. "Kreacher wasn't quite as devoted to him as to my mother, but I still caught him snogging a pair of my father's old trousers last week." He went to throw it away when Alicia caught it.

"It'd be terrible to throw out where Mundungus can sell it." Sirius rolled with eyes and sighed as Harry looked confused.

"She's been taking things I've wanted to throw out, something about having some sort of heirloom even if it does sit in her vault for the rest of forever." Sirius explained to Harry as the girl pocketed the ring. Harry didn't blame her for wanting some sort of family heirlooms, after all, they had none. It had all been destroyed when Voldemort's curse had rebounded off of Harry.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Mrs. Weasley kept them all working very hard over the next few days. The drawing room took three days to decontaminate; finally the only undesirable things left in it were the tapestry of the Black family tree, which resisted all their attempts to remove it from the wall, and the rattling writing desk; Moody had not dropped by headquarters yet, so they could not be sure what was inside it.

They moved from the drawing room to a dining room on the ground floor where they found spiders large as saucers lurking in the dresser (Ron left the room hurriedly to make a cup of tea and did not return for an hour and a half). The china, which bore the Black crest and motto, was all thrown unceremoniously into a sack by Sirius, and the same fate met a set of old photographs in tarnished silver frames, all of whose occupants squealed shrilly as the glass covering them smashed. Alicia made no attempt to take anything which Sirius tried to remove. The group were very harshly waging war on the house, which was putting up a very good fight, aided and abetted by Kreacher. The house-elf kept appearing wherever they were congregated, his muttering becoming more and more offensive as he attempted to remove anything he could from the rubbish sacks. Sirius went as far as to threaten him with clothes, but Kreacher fixed him with a watery stare and said, "Master must do as Master wishes," before turning away and muttering very loudly, "but Master will not turn Kreacher away, no, because Kreacher knows what they are up to, oh yes, he is plotting against the Dark Lord, yes, with these Mudbloods and traitors and scum…" At which Sirius, ignoring Hermione's protests, seized Kreacher by the back of his loincloth and threw him bodily from the room.

"I'm sorry but even I must say you are pushing it too far with that!" Alicia had snapped "No wonder the house elf hates you."

The doorbell rang several times a day, which was the cue for Sirius's mother to start shrieking again, and for the teens to attempt to eavesdrop on the visitor, though they gleaned very little from the brief glimpses and snatches of conversation they were able to sneak before Mrs. Weasley recalled them to their tasks. Snape flitted in and out of the house several times more, though to Harry's relief they never came face-to-face; they also caught sight of the Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall, looking very odd in a Muggle dress and coat, though she also seemed too busy to linger.

Sometimes, however, the visitors stayed to help; Tonks joined them for a memorable afternoon in which they found a murderous old ghoul lurking in an upstairs toilet, and Lupin, who was staying in the house with Sirius but who left it for long periods to do mysterious work for the Order, helped them repair a grandfather clock that had developed the unpleasant habit of shooting heavy bolts at passersby. Mundungus redeemed himself slightly in Mrs. Weasley's eyes by rescuing Ron from an ancient set of purple robes that had tried to strangle him when he removed them from their wardrobe.

Alicia was more than happy to have her brother back with her again, and he'd seemed to be much happier than she had expected, especially with the hearing coming up. Harry only seemed to remember this event when ever he stopped moving, stopped helping or his mind was no longer being kept busy. The girl had also noticed that he wasn't sleeping very well, having him in the same house as her, she occasionally, during her sleep, saw glimpses of corridors and locked doors that made the scar on her neck prickle. When this happened she'd wake up confused, however it had only happened since her brother had arrived.

 _He must be having this dream… but what for?_ she questioned.

"Harry," Alicia said when they were walking up the stairs after having cleaned another room. Ron and Hermione were following them. "Come with me, I have something to show you." she said taking his hand "We'll be right back." she smiled to Ron and Hermione who nodded. Alicia hadn't noticed the two often whispering together and casting anxious looks in Harry's direction, she knew they were worried about the hearing, but she'd already given them the cautious warning not to mention it around Harry, after all, who'd want to be reminded of such a thing?

"What's up Alicia?" Harry asked when the two entered her room and she closed the door

"Well, a few times now I've been woken up in the middle of the night with a pain in my neck after dreaming about a corridor and some door." Alicia admitted, sitting down on one of the beds and crossing her arms. Harry looked at her guiltily

"What's that about?" she asked

"I don't know. I've been dreaming about it all summer so far. It keeps waking me up." he muttered sitting opposite her.

"But… weren't you dreaming about Cedric?" she asked softly

"Not since I arrived here." Harry admitted, also trying to end that subject.

"Still, I imagined you'd be dreaming about the hearing at least." Alicia admitted "Not corridors and locks." she looked confused as Harry bit his cheek. "Don't look like that." Alicia snapped when he looked pale but straight, trying to hide the fear she knew he was feeling. "I know you're scared about this hearing and I know you're worried about Sirius' not so straight answer on whether you could stay here or not when you're not expelled."

"How do you know I wont be?"

"First of all, Dumbledore was on the Wizard council, he'll know the rules and how to convince them. Even if we haven't seen the man since you were attacked he'll do anything he can to make sure you get off. Second of all, I am a witness, I mean, I don't know if I'd be able to go in and testify as they'll just think I practiced with you or you told me all the details but still! A witness is probably all you need to get off innocent."

"And if you can't testify?"

"Then there's still Mrs Figg. She was there after all, I'm sure she would have seen… probably all of it." Alicia assured "If Dumbledore was able to get you a hearing in the first place then he'll have a plan of getting you out of it. Besides I'm not going to Hogwarts without you even if I have to shrink you down and steal you away in my trunk." Alicia said and Harry smirked slightly "That or I'll just stay here and have Hermione send me copies of all the homework."

"You can't do that." Harry believed

"Bet you I could." Alicia disagreed and Harry chuckled "And I'd still pass, just not on my usual standard."

"So, I'm going to ask if I can come with you to the hearing." Alicia grinned and Harry looked at her surprised "After all family has to have some sort of pass to be there, right?" she asked with a shrug.

"You can't!" the door suddenly burst open and the twins burst through. Alicia closed her eyes and her eyebrows furrowed in anger, unlike Harry who'd jumped and looked at the doorway in shock she hadn't even budged.

"If you go with Harry then who's going to tell us what happens?!" Fred questioned

"Yeah you've got a direct link to give us details on what happening! After all mum and dad probably wont tell us anything other than the fact that Harry's gotten off!" George agreed

"Excuse me… but what are you doing ears dropping?" Alicia asked through clenched teeth. The twins stopped

"We weren't…" Fred began slowly

"We just walked past and happened to—" George began

"Bullshit you were." Alicia turned to them. The twins flinched backwards slightly and inched for the door. Harry bit his lip as Alicia got to her feet.

"I will not use your nosiness as my only reason not to provide moral support for Harry. If I can go then that's what I'm doing, Harry and I can tell you everything when we get home. Don't be so selfish, using our weird connection for your own curiosity." she snapped and the two merely smiled guiltily.

"Get out." she said pointing to the door and the two twins left quickly with a crack.

"You know, you can be really scary when you want to be." Harry muttered as they stood in the doorway.

"Good." Alicia said before the two made their way down for Ron and Harry's room where Ron and Hermione were bending over Ron's homework.

"Haven't you finished that yet?" Alicia questioned

"We're not all book worms thanks." Ron replied "Harry you haven't finished your homework either have you?" he said

"No." Harry answered

"See."

"Yeah well if you ask me Harry has more of an… no, no you don't." Alicia changed her tune "I think with all the waiting around you would have done it to get your mind off of things." she said to him but the boy just shrugged. Alicia sighed. "I'm shocked you don't get annoyed at leaving it to the last minute all the time." she mumbled

"You're starting to sound like Hermione." Ron muttered, earning a disapproving look from the girl

"Well she's more sensible than you are." Alicia replied as she collapsed onto one of the beds.

"Everyone's more sensible then Ronald." Hermione said

"Not true. The twins aren't." Alicia said as Ron rolled this eyes annoyed, earning a chuckle from Harry.

The day of the hearing continued to approach and Alicia, though completely confident Harry would get off easily, was still a little concerned. Harry it seemed wasn't, but Alicia had a sneaking suspicion he didn't even know what the date was, locked in this house it wasn't hard to understand why; days flew by, especially with Mrs Weasley making them all clean. Alicia had pitched in a little but even Mrs Weasley didn't bother to make her work as hard as the others. They weren't completely back on speaking terms yet.

The day crept up on them and Alicia found herself loosing her ability to sleep as it arrived. She stared up at her celling before annoyingly threw her covers off of herself and moved to the doorway.

Not caring about what anyone said the girl moved down the three flights of stairs to the ground floor and then down the stairs to the kitchen.

She stopped, people were still awake. She wasn't sure what time it was but she hadn't expected that.

 _They're probably going to kick me out because they're talking about something Order related._ She grumbled annoyed as she came to the bottom of the stairs.

"He needs to be escorted into the Ministry," Alicia looked surprised, that was Dumbledore's voice. She'd only seen him within the house once before. "I'll be attending the Hearing as well to make sure Harry has the best chance."

There was a sudden noise as though someone was about to start talking before Dumbledore continued

"I do not want you attending the Hearing with Harry, Sirius." he said strongly "We can't take the risk. Not only will you receive the Dementors Kiss if you're caught but you could also be tortured by Voldemort's follows if discovered. You will remain here." he ordered.

There was silence for a minute and Alice could picture Sirius grinding his teeth as he tried to settle his temper in order to speak again.

"What about Alicia?" Sirius' voice sounded "Technically she is a witness."

"Of which we cannot prove. I wish for her to stay here as well."

"She'll be very disappointed in that." Sirius warned. Alicia rolled her eyes and pushed the door open.

"Not that I can't be there anyway." she said before walking in and moving to the sink to pour herself a glass of water.

"Young lady what are you doing out of bed!?" Mrs Weasley scolded crossly.

"Well my brother is going to a hearing in two days in which he could be expelled from Hogwarts. Sorry if I cannot sleep." Alicia snapped back. She walked back to the door to leave before stopping.

"By the way Professor," she turned to Dumbledore "Thanks for coming and wishing Harry luck. He really needed that." she said cynically before turning and storming from the room as Mrs Weasley for once didn't bother to scold her, but stayed silent.

Alicia stormed up to her room where the twins poking their head out of their room as she reached their landing.

"What's up Alicia?" they asked

"Stubborn teachers!" she answered simply before closing her door rather loudly and moving back to her bed.

* * *

Alicia was in a sour mood for most of the next day. She stayed mostly in her room but having completed all her homework even that wasn't much of a distraction. The twins tried to ask her about her midnight visit to the kitchen but received a verbal beating instead. Per the twins advice no one else bothered her in worry of how she'd react.

Alicia left her room for dinner that night and those already there glanced at her straight face as she sat down and stared at the plate before her. Chops sat upon it with mash potatoes and vegetables.

Lupin and Sirius were already at the table, Hermione and Ginny soon joined before Ron and Harry, the last two chairs being filled up by the twins before everyone began to dig in.

The light chatter was all broken by Mrs Weasley and everyone on the table froze with what she said.

"I've ironed your best clothes for tomorrow morning, Harry, and I want you to wash your hair tonight too. A good first impression can work wonders."

Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny all looked over at him as Alicia sat playing with her food. Harry nodded and tried to keep eating his chops.

"How am I getting there?" he asked Mrs. Weasley, trying to sound unconcerned.

"Arthur's taking you to work with him," said Mrs. Weasley gently. Mr. Weasley smiled encouragingly at Harry across the table.

"You can wait in my office until it's time for the hearing," he said. Harry looked over at Sirius, but before he could ask the question, Mrs. Weasley had answered it.

"Professor Dumbledore doesn't think it's a good idea for Sirius to go with you, and I must say I —"

"— think he's _quite right_ ," said Sirius through clenched teeth. Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips.

"When did Dumbledore tell you that?" Harry said, staring at Sirius.

"He came last night, when you were in bed," said Mr. Weasley.

Sirius stabbed moodily at a potato with his fork. Harry dropped his own eyes to his plate.

"The same with Alicia." Mrs Weasley added after a moment of silence. Everyone turned to the girl who ignored the statement. Hermione and Ron however shared a look and the twins nodded with understanding. Harry stared at his sister not sure if he was disappointed or surprised.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

Alicia woke up with a gasp, her mind having created an unpleasant dream. She took a deep breath before sitting up and running her hands over her face and through her long black hair.

She sighed before getting up and pulling on her clothes, running a brush through her hair and moving through the door and down the three flights of stairs.

"… and I'll have to tell Dumbledore I can't do night duty tomorrow, I'm just t-t-too tired," Tonks finished, yawning hugely again.

"I know the feeling." Mr and Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Lupin and Sirius all turned to Alicia as she moving in through the doorway. "Morning." she mumbled

"Are you alright Alicia?" Mrs Weasley asked her worriedly

"Didn't sleep well." Alicia admitted as she sat beside Harry while Mrs Weasley stood up and offered her the chair. Alicia nodded thanks to her and told the women what she wanted for breakfast as Harry went back to chewing on his toast. He made a bit of a face as he did so, as though he was forcing himself to do so.

"I'll cover for you," said Mr. Weasley, returning to the conversation Alicia had interrupted. "I'm okay, I've got a report to finish anyway…"

Mr. Weasley was not wearing wizard's robes but a pair of pin-striped trousers and an old bomber jacket. Alicia assumed he would be taking Harry to the Ministry through a Muggle place, otherwise there'd be no need for his disguise.

The red haired man turned from Tonks to Harry at that moment as Mrs Weasley placed a plate in front of the girl. It consisted of waffles, with blueberries, ice-cream and syrup. Alicia felt she needed the sugar to help her eat it.

"How are you feeling?"

Harry shrugged.

"It'll all be over soon," Mr. Weasley said bracingly. "In a few hours' time you'll be cleared."

Harry said nothing and Alicia casted him a glance.

"The hearing's on my floor, in Amelia Bones's office. She's Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and she's the one who'll be questioning you."

"Amelia Bones is okay, Harry," said Tonks earnestly. "She's fair, she'll hear you out."

"Fudge is allowing that?" Alicia asked sourly as Harry nodded, still apparently unable to think of anything to say.

"Well it is her job."

"Yeah but I'm sure if he wanted Fudge could change that." Alicia spat before putting some food in her mouth to keep her from continuing. The adults glanced at her and Sirius sighed before turning from the girl to Harry

"Don't lose your temper," said Sirius abruptly. "Be polite and stick to the facts." Harry followed his gaze to Alicia who just simply kept her eyes on her plate.

Harry nodded again.

"The law's on your side," said Lupin quietly. "Even underage wizards are allowed to use magic in life-threatening situations."

Alicia felt water droplets on her cheek and face and turned to find Mrs Weasley attacking Harry's hair with a wet comb, attempting to control it. The girl watched amused at the futile effort and the women's annoyed expression.

"Doesn't it ever lie flat?" she said desperately.

Harry shook his head.

Mr. Weasley checked his watch and looked up at Harry.

"I think we'll go now," he said. "We're a bit early, but I think you'll be better off there than hanging around here."

"What?" Alicia asked surprised and she looked around and Mr Weasley got to his feet.

"Okay," said Harry automatically, dropping his toast and getting to his feet also. Alicia found herself doing the same, not wanting to leave him as his expression was plain and his movements somewhat mechanical.

"You'll be all right, Harry," said Tonks, patting him on the arm.

"Good luck," said Lupin. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"And if it's not," said Sirius grimly, "I'll see to Amelia Bones for you…"

Harry smiled weakly. Mrs. Weasley hugged him.

"We've all got our fingers crossed," she said.

"Right," said Harry. "Well… see you later then." Alicia took his hand and he gave her a look. She nodded and went with him up the stairs after Mr Weasley and along the hall. Sirius's mother was grunting in her sleep behind her curtains and the other portraits were just as quiet. Mr. Weasley unbolted the door and Harry turned to Alicia.

"If this doesn't turn out well, then I'm not going this year either." she said

"No you can't…"

"I'm not leaving you alone." Alicia rolled her eyes. "But you heard them all, everything's on your side." she nodded "You'll be fine. Everything will be alright."

"You believe that?" Harry asked her as Mr Weasley looked around the street.

"What would we do if we didn't?" Alicia shrugged and Harry smiled ever so slightly as he nodded. "Will you come?"

"Yes." Alicia said as though it was a stupid question. "Just because Dumbledore decided I can't be a witness to the trial doesn't mean I can't come for support. Even if it is just in spirit." Harry nodded and Mr Weasley turned to them.

"Alright." he nodded and Harry and Alicia shared a glance before the girl hugged her brother.

"I guess I should wish you good luck." she shrugged and he returned it. "Well… good luck." her mouth twisted weirdly as she sat it but Harry nodded and the two stepped out into the cold, grey dawn without her. Mr Weasley gave Alicia a reassuring look before he closed the door behind them.

Alicia took a deep breath and as she nodded to herself she backed back down the hallway before returning to the kitchen to eat her waffles.

Not long after the staircase was thumped down upon before Hermione, Ron, Ginny and the twins bursted into the kitchen. They looked around and Alicia sighed as she had the Daily Prophet in her hands.

"He's already left." she admitted

"He what?" Ron asked

"Yeah, your dad decided it was better than sitting around here waiting." she mumbled

"When did they leave?" Ginny asked as she sat beside the girl

"Before the sun rose." Alicia admitted looking at her, putting the paper down, which Hermione took.

"That's early." Fred said

"Well, it's better they don't miss the hearing after all." Mrs Weasley said as she began to give her children and Hermione breakfast.

"But isn't a few hours much too early?" Ginny wondered

"They took the train in dear." Mrs Weasley assured

"Meaning they weren't there as early as they would have been if they'd apparated." Hermione nodded

"Come now, eat your breakfast." Mrs Weasley said and the five began to eat. Alicia sat with her nerves climbing slightly as she waited and her eyes were kept on a few of their plates that she didn't notice Hermione constantly glancing at her.

The twins shared a look as Alicia got up and decided to leave the kitchen. Mrs Weasley watched Ginny, Ron, Hermione and the twins as they got up and instantly followed her with a subtle nod at one another. The women narrowed her eyes but moved to collect the plates and cutlery left by the children without saying a word.

Alicia rose an eyebrow as she stopped on the second landing and turned to the five tailing her. The twins grinned as Hermione and Ginny shared a look.

"What?" The black haired girl asked

"Well seeing as you're still here…" Fred began

"Wanna tell us what's happening?" George grinned. Alicia looked at the other three who look at her with anticipation before she rolled her eyes and continued up the stairs.

"You said you wouldn't do it because you wanted to be going with Harry." Fred continued as he and George led the way after her

"But you weren't allowed to go."

"Plus you're going to do it anyway right?" Fred added with a grin

"What wrong with just giving us a play by play?" George offered

"It's extra effort." Alicia grumbled

"How much more?" the twins chorused

"Guys maybe we shouldn't. It might put a dangers strain on Alicia." Hermione thought worriedly.

"She's already done it hasn't she?" Ron wondered

"By accident." Ginny added

"And only once." Hermione said

"Practice makes perfect right?" Fred shrugged as they all entered the green eyed girl's room and huddled around the two beds.

"Come on Hermione," Ron began "Do you really want to be sitting around waiting for Harry to return to find out what happened?" he wondered and everyone looked at her as she bit her lip. Hermione turned to Alicia.

"Well?" she asked "What do you think?" Alicia looked around at them all

"I think you're all going to sit around and watch me whether I say yes or no." she said

"Is that a yes?" the twins grinned. Alicia simply moved and leaned on her headboard. The twins grinned and Ron and Ginny shared a small his five.

"Hermione, do me a favour and grab one of the text books." Alicia pointed to her pile on the desk and the boys all look confused and disappointed. Hermione, confused, did as she was asked before coming to sit on the other bed opposite Alicia. "Pick a random chapter and start reading it to me." The girl leaned back and closed her eyes.

"What?" the Weasley boy's all asked

"Shut up." Alicia said without opening her lids. Hermione looked at the four and Ginny nodded before she began to read. Ron rolled his eyes annoyed and the twins looked disappointed as Alicia listened to her, letting her mind go blank as she did so and allowing her muscles to relax. Chatter filled her ears and Alicia opened her eyes to look at a long and splendid hall before her, there was all highly polished dark wood on the floor and the celling was a peacock blue with inlaid golden gleaming symbols. Alicia looked at them as they moved and changed like an enormous heavenly notice board. The walls of the hall were covered in gilded fireplaces and every few seconds a witch or wizard emerged from the left hand side with a soft whoosh while on the right lines of wizards and witches were queued before each fireplace waiting to depart.

"Why do we have to listen to this?" Fred asked annoyed

"It must help somehow. Stop complaining." Ginny snapped at him

"How do we know if it worked?" Ron wondered. Alicia ignored them as she noticed a fountain halfway down the hall, a group of golden statues stood in the middle of the circular pool. The golden figures were larger than life size and consisted of five figures. The tallest and grandest was a noble-looking wizard with his wand pointing straight to the air. With him was a beautiful witch, a centaur, a goblin and a house-elf. The last three were looking adoringly up at the witch and wizard, something that made Alicia raise an eyebrow.

Glittering jets of water were flying from the ends of the two wands, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and each of the house-elf's ears, so that the tinkling hiss of falling water was added to the pops and cracks of Apparators and the clatter of footsteps as hundreds of witches and wizards, most of whom were wearing glum, early-morning looks, strode toward a set

of golden gates at the far end of the hall.

"Have you guys ever been to the Ministry of Magic?" Alicia asked the five around her

"Course, dad took us once." Fred nodded

"Did it work?" Hermione asked cautiously

"Yeah." Alicia replied "They've just arrived."

"What's it like?" Hermione wondered

"There's a giant fountain in the hall and… I think there are elevators at the other end." Alicia described.

"This way," said Mr. Weasley causing Alicia to turn to the two beside her. She reached and grabbed Harry's hand. He turned to her and she smiled

"Hey."

"Where have you been?" Harry questioned as they followed Mr Weasley

"I didn't need to sit on a train with you…" Alicia believed "Plus I was eating breakfast." Harry huffed as they joined the throng of people, wending their way between the ministry workers, some of whom were carrying tottering piles of parchment, others battered briefcases, others reading the Daily Prophet as they walked.

They passed the statue and Harry's attention was drawn to it as Alicia looked at all the ministry wizards around her. All were dressed in robes and were either bristling around looking unhappy or lazing their way across the hall.

Alicia turned as Harry pulled on her arm and turned to him.

"If I'm not expelled from Hogwarts, I'll put in ten Galleons," Harry said desperately, pointing at a sign and Alicia read the small smudged words.

 **All proceeds from the Fountain of Magical Brethren will be given to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries**

"You're not going to be expelled so aren't you generous." Alicia smiled before she pulled him on after Mr Weasley.

"Over here, Harry," he said before they stepped out of the stream of Ministry employees heading for the golden gates at the end of the hall, toward a desk on the left, over which hung a sign saying Security. A badly shaven wizard in peacock-blue robes looked up as they approached and put down his _Daily Prophet_.

"I'm escorting a visitor," said Mr. Weasley, gesturing toward Harry.

"Step over here," said the wizard in a bored voice. Alicia raised an eyebrow at his attitude.

"You'd think the security of the Ministry wouldn't be such a… slob." Harry smirked ever so slightly as he walked closer to him and the wizard held up a long golden rod, thin and flexible as a car aerial, and passed it up and down Harry's front and back.

"Wand," grunted the security wizard at Harry, putting down the golden instrument and holding out his hand.

Harry produced his wand.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Alicia

"They're weighing Harry's wand. He's at security." Alicia answered as the wizard dropped the wand onto a strange brass instrument, which looked something like a set of scales with only one dish. It began to vibrate. A narrow strip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. The wizard tore this off and read the writing upon it.

"Eleven inches, phoenix-feather core, been in use four years. That correct?"

"Yes," said Harry nervously.

"I keep this," said the wizard, impaling the slip of parchment on a small brass spike. "You get this back," he added, thrusting the wand at Harry.

"Thank you."

"Hang on…" said the wizard slowly.

His eyes had darted from the silver visitor's badge on Harry's chest to his forehead.

"Quick." Alicia thought and she began to pull on Harry's arm

"Thank you, Eric," said Mr. Weasley firmly, and grasping Harry by the shoulder and helping Alicia as he steered him away from the desk and back into the stream of wizards and witches walking through the golden gates.

"You know for a second I didn't think he'd give you your wand back." Alicia admitted. Harry said nothing. As the amount of people increased Alicia slipped her arm through Harry's and stayed close to him. Of course Harry was the only person she was capable of physically touching and a few hands and briefcases went through her arm or hip.

They moved after Mr Weasley and through the gates into the smaller hall beyond, where at least twenty lifts stood behind wrought golden grilles. Harry and Mr. Weasley joined the crowd around one of them. A big, bearded wizard holding a large cardboard box stood nearby. The box was emitting rasping noises.

Alicia looked annoyed.

"I'm not going to like this…" she grumbled "Think I can disappear for a bit so I don't have to go in it and be stood on?" she asked. Harry responded by gripping her arm tighter. "Take that as a no."

"We're going in a lift to your dad's office." Alicia said to the five, Ron's leg was bouncing up and down while Hermione was biting her lip. Ginny simply watched Alicia while the twins muttered to one another.

"All right, Arthur?" said the wizard, nodding at Mr. Weasley.

"What've you got there, Bob?" asked Mr. Weasley, looking at the box.

"We're not sure," said the wizard seriously. "We thought it was a bog-standard chicken until it started breathing fire. Looks like a serious breach of the Ban on Experimental Breeding to me."

With a great jangling and clattering a lift descended in front of them; the golden grille slid back and Harry, Alicia and Mr. Weasley moved inside it with the rest of the crowd. Harry found himself jammed against the back wall of the lift before turning to his sister, she was hidden half within another person and her eyes were jammed shut as though not wanting to experience such a sight. He smirked at her ever so slightly.

"We're in a lift going up." Alicia sighed to everyone who was lazing about behind her. "You know the hearing doesn't start for a few hours right, nothing interesting will happen yet." Alicia believed as Ron sighed beside her. Hermione had started to read the book she'd picked up in the beginning to pass the time while Ginny glanced over her shoulder. The twins were sitting waiting.

The grilles slid shut with a crash and the lift ascended slowly, chains rattling all the while, while a cool female voice rang out.

"Level seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club, and Ludicrous Patents Office."

The lift doors opened; Harry glimpsed an untidy-looking corridor, with various posters of Quidditch teams tacked lopsidedly on the walls; one of the wizards in the lift, who was carrying an armful of broomsticks, extricated himself with difficulty and disappeared down the corridor. The doors closed, the lift juddered upward again, and the woman's voice said, "Level six, Department of Magical Transport, incorporating the Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office, and Apparation Test Center."

Once again the lift doors opened and four or five witches and wizards got out; at the same time, several paper airplanes swooped into the lift. Harry stared up at them as they flapped idly around above his head; they were a pale violet colour and he could see ministry of magic stamped along the edges of their wings.

"Just Interdepartmental memos," Mr. Weasley muttered to him. "We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable… droppings all over the desks…"

"What?" Alicia asked Harry, her eyes still closed

"Flying paper aeroplanes." Harry whispered and she simply nodded.

As they clattered upward again, the memos flapped around the swaying lamp in the lift's ceiling.

"Level five, Department of International Magical Cooperation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law, and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats."

When the doors opened, two of the memos zoomed out with a few more witches and wizards, but several more memos zoomed in, so that the light from the lamp in the ceiling flickered and flashed as they darted around it.

"Level four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office, and Pest Advisory Bureau."

"'S'cuse," said the wizard carrying the fire-breathing chicken and he left the lift pursued by a little flock of memos. The doors clanged shut yet again.

"Level three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

Everybody left the lift on this floor except Mr. Weasley, Harry, and a witch who was reading an extremely long piece of parchment that was trailing on the ground.

"Alicia you can open your eyes now." Harry whispered. She opened one and looked around to find the lift empty before releasing a breath Harry smirked at her and she snapped him a scowl.

"I don't even want to know." she admitted. She looked up at the interdepartmental memos with curiosity as the remaining ones continued to soar around the lamp as the lift juddered upward again, and then the doors opened and the voice said, "Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

"This is us, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. The twins shared a look before they and Mr Weasley followed the witch out of the lift into a corridor lined with doors. "My office is on the other side of the floor." Alicia glanced around as she remembered the departments on the floor. Instantly the Auror Headquarters had caught her attention but the Wizengamot, which was the High Court, had reminded her of why Harry was here in the first place.

"Mr. Weasley," said Harry, as they passed a window through which sunlight was streaming, "aren't we underground?"

"Yes, we are," said Mr. Weasley, "those are enchanted windows; Magical Maintenance decide what weather we're getting every day. We had two months of hurricanes last time they were angling for a pay raise… Just round here, Harry."

"Guess that's one way to go on strike." Alicia mumbled

They turned a corner, walked through a pair of heavy oak doors, and emerged in a cluttered, open area divided into cubicles, which were buzzing with talk and laughter. Memos were zooming in and out of cubicles like miniature rockets. A lopsided sign on the nearest cubicle read _Auror Headquarters_.

Alicia looked at it all somewhat surprised.

"Doesn't this seem much too happy for the Auror department?" she asked

"Why?" Harry mumbled

"Well I guess with thirteen years of peace…" the girl continued.

Harry looked surreptitiously through the doorways as they passed. The Aurors had covered their cubicle walls with everything from pictures of wanted wizards and photographs of their families, to posters of their favourite Quidditch teams and articles from the Daily Prophet. A scarlet-robed man with a ponytail longer than Bill's was sitting with his boots up on his desk, dictating a report to his quill. A little farther along, a witch with a patch over her eye was talking over the top of her cubicle wall to Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Morning, Weasley," said Kingsley carelessly, as they drew nearer. "I've been wanting a word with you, have you got a second?"

"Yes, if it really is a second," said Mr. Weasley, "I'm in rather a hurry."

They were talking to each other as though they hardly knew each other, and when Harry opened his mouth to say hello to Kingsley, Mr. Weasley stood on his foot.

Harry looked at Alicia annoyed.

"Well think about it, they probably wouldn't be all that friendly if not for the order, and the Ministry of Magic aren't supposed to know about that." Alicia thought "Plus Fudge suspects Mr Weasley remember, hence the whole Percy fiasco." she mumbled.

They followed Kingsley along the row and into the very last cubicle. Alicia stopped by the entrance surprised, Sirius's face was blinking down at them from every direction and every wall. Newspaper cuttings and old photographs — even the one of Sirius being best man at the Potters' wedding — papered the walls. The only Sirius-free space was a map of the world in which little red pins were glowing like jewels.

"Well… this is weird…" Alicia decided

"What?" Fred and George asked

"Did I say that out loud?" Alicia mumbled "We're in Kingsley's cubical in the Auror headquarters and Sirius' face is on ever little inch other than the map that pinpoints sightings…" she admitted

"Weird."

"Not really he's in charge of Sirius' hunt." Hermione reminded her

"Still a surprise." Alicia said.

"Here," said Kingsley brusquely to Mr. Weasley, shoving a sheaf of parchment into his hand, drawing Alicia's focus back to the two men. "I need as much information as possible on flying Muggle vehicles sighted in the last twelve months. We've received information that Black might still be using his old motorcycle."

"Doesn't Hagrid have Sirius' motorcycle?" Alicia wondered to Harry, having remembered Hagrid saying Sirius gave him the bike in their third year, but Harry was watching Kingsley as the man tipped him an enormous wink.

"Give him the magazine, he might find it interesting." He whispered. Then he said in normal tones, "And don't take too long, Weasley, the delay on that firelegs report held our investigation up for a month."

"If you had read my report you would know that the term is 'firearms,' " said Mr. Weasley coolly. "And I'm afraid you'll have to wait for information on motorcycles, we're extremely busy at the moment." He dropped his voice and said, "If you can get away before seven, Molly's making meatballs."

"Apparently we're having meatballs for dinner." Alicia told everyone. A few comments were replied.

Mr Weasley then beckoned to Harry and Alicia followed as they were led out of Kingsley's cubicle, through a second set of oak doors, into another passage, turned left, marched along another corridor, turned right into a dimly lit and distinctly shabby corridor, and finally reached a dead end, where a door on the left stood ajar, revealing a broom cupboard, and a door on the right bore a tarnished brass plaque reading _Misuse of Muggle Artifacts_.

Mr. Weasley's dingy office seemed to be slightly smaller than the broom cupboard. Two desks had been crammed inside it and there was barely room to move around them because of all the overflowing filing cabinets lining the walls, on top of which were tottering piles of files. The little wall space available bore witness to Mr. Weasley's obsessions; there were several posters of cars, including one of a dismantled engine, two illustrations of postboxes he seemed to have cut out of Muggle children's books, and a diagram showing how to wire a plug.

Alicia felt bad for the man, shoved into a small closet like space. Obviously if the Wizard World wanted to keep themselves a secret from Muggles then Mr Weasley's branch was necessary, at least important enough for a proper office.

Sitting on top of Mr. Weasley's overflowing in-tray was an old toaster that was hiccuping in a disconsolate way and a pair of empty leather gloves that were twiddling their thumbs. A photograph of the Weasley family stood beside the in-tray, Percy of which was missing, having appeared to of walked out of it.

"We haven't got a window," said Mr. Weasley apologetically, taking off his bomber jacket and placing it on the back of his chair. "We've asked, but they don't seem to think we need one. Have a seat, Harry, doesn't look as if Perkins is in yet."

"What he needs is clearly a bit more respect and a real room." Alicia grumbled. Harry squeezed himself into the chair behind Perkins's desk, glancing at his sister, while Mr. Weasley rifled through the sheaf of parchment Kingsley Shacklebolt had given him.

"Ah," he said, grinning, as he extracted a copy of a magazine entitled _The Quibbler_ from its midst, "Yes…" He flicked through it. "Yes, he's right, I'm sure Sirius will find that very amusing — oh dear, what's this now?"

A memo had just zoomed in through the open door and fluttered to rest on top of the hiccuping toaster. Mr. Weasley unfolded it and read aloud, "'Third regurgitating public toilet reported in Bethnal Green, kindly investigate immediately.' This is getting ridiculous…"

"Ew…" Alicia mumbled, pulling a scowl.

"A regurgitating toilet?"

"Anti-Muggle pranksters," said Mr. Weasley, frowning. "We had two last week, one in Wimbledon, one in Elephant and Castle. Muggles are pulling the flush and instead of everything disappearing — well, you can imagine. The poor things keep calling in those — those _pumbles_ , I think they're called — you know, the ones who mend pipes and things —"

"Plumbers?"

"— exactly, yes, but of course they're flummoxed. I only hope we can catch whoever's doing it."

"Will it be Aurors who catch them?"

"Oh no, this is too trivial for Aurors, it'll be the ordinary Magical Law Enforcement Patrol — ah, Harry, this is Perkins." A stooped, timid-looking old wizard with fluffy white hair had just entered the room, panting.

"Oh Arthur!" he said desperately, without looking at Harry. "Thank goodness, I didn't know what to do for the best, whether to wait here for you or not, I've just sent an owl to your home but you've obviously missed it — an urgent message came ten minutes ago —"

"I know about the regurgitating toilet," said Mr. Weasley.

"No, no, it's not the toilet, it's the Potter boy's hearing — they've changed the time and venue — it starts at eight o'clock now and it's down in old Courtroom Ten —"

"What?!" Alicia snapped and the five sitting around her suddenly jumped. "They've changed Harry's hearing time and place. It's at eight o'clock in some old courtroom which I doubt is on this floor!" Alicia said to them all. Hermione squeaked as Ron checked his watch and Ginny looked at Alicia with her mouth open.

"Down in old — but they told me — Merlin's beard —" Mr. Weasley looked at his watch, let out a yelp, and leapt from his chair.

"Quick, Harry, we should have been there five minutes ago!" Alicia and Harry shared a look, Harry looking shocked as Perkins flattened himself against the filing cabinets as Mr. Weasley left the office at a run, Harry on his heels, Alicia following quickly.

"But it's already started!" Hermione worried

"Why'd they change it?" Ginny questioned

"Imagine if they hadn't left so early?" Ron mumbled

"Why have they changed the time?" Harry said breathlessly as they hurtled past the Auror cubicles; people poked out their heads and stared as they streaked past.

"I've no idea, but thank goodness we got here so early, if you'd missed it it would have been catastrophic!" Mr. Weasley skidded to a halt beside the lifts and jabbed impatiently at the down button.

"I bet they changed it in hopes you'd miss it and get expelled no matter what." Alicia hissed, both to Harry and the Weasley's and Hermione around her.

"Come ON!" Mr Weasley snapped at the lift angrily. The lift clattered into view and they hurried inside. Every time it stopped Mr. Weasley cursed furiously and pummelled the number nine button.

"Those courtrooms haven't been used in years," said Mr. Weasley angrily. "I can't think why they're doing it down there — unless — but no…"

Harry and Alicia shared a look and Alicia knew exactly what Mr Weasley was thinking as she'd already spoken the idea out loud herself.

A plump witch carrying a smoking goblet entered the lift at that moment, and Mr. Weasley did not elaborate.

"The Atrium," said the cool female voice and the golden grilles slid open, giving a distant glimpse of the golden statues in the fountain. The plump witch got out and a sallow-skinned wizard with a very mournful face got in.

"Morning, Arthur," he said in a sepulchral voice as the lift began to descend. "Don't often see you down here…"

"Urgent business, Bode," said Mr. Weasley, who was bouncing on the balls of his feet and throwing anxious looks over at Harry.

"Ah, yes," said Bode, surveying Harry unblinkingly. "Of course."

"Department of Mysteries," said the cool female voice, and left it at that.

"Quick, Harry," said Mr. Weasley as the lift doors rattled open, and they sped up a corridor that was quite different from those above.

"We're in the Department of Mysteries." Alicia admitted as she sprinted after Harry and Mr Weasley. The walls were bare; there were no windows and no doors apart from a plain black one set at the very end of the corridor. It was almost as if they were to go through it, but instead Mr. Weasley seized Harry by the arm and dragged him to the left, causing Alicia to skid to a halt and follow quickly. She spotted an opening leading to a flight of steps.

"Down here, down here," panted Mr. Weasley, taking two steps at a time. "The lift doesn't even come down this far… why they're doing it there…"

They reached the bottom of the steps and ran along yet another corridor, which bore a great resemblance to that which led to Snape's dungeon at Hogwarts, with rough stone walls and torches in brackets. The doors they passed here were heavy wooden ones with iron bolts and keyholes.

"Courtroom… ten… I think… we're nearly… yes."

Mr. Weasley stumbled to a halt outside a grimy dark door with an immense iron lock and slumped against the wall, clutching at a stitch in his chest.

"We've reached the court room." Alicia mumbled as she panted and everyone began to hold their breath around her.

"Go on," Mr Weasley panted, pointing his thumb at the door. "Get in there."

"Aren't — aren't you coming with — ?"

"No, no, I'm not allowed. Good luck!"

Harry's heart was beating a violent tattoo against his Adam's apple. He looked at Alicia and she took his hand, her heart pounding like she'd actually run the corridors with them. She nodded her head to the door and took a deep breath, Harry swallowed hard and followed suit before turning the heavy iron door handle, and stepping inside the courtroom.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Alicia looked around the courtroom in shock. She recognised it instantly though she'd never entered the door before. But she had been here. This was the place she and Harry had visited inside Dumbledore's Pensieve, the place where they had watched the Lestranges sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban.

The walls were made of dark stone, dimly lit by torches. Empty benches rose on either side, but ahead, in the highest benches of all, were many shadowy figures. They had been talking in low voices, but as the heavy door swung closed behind Harry an ominous silence fell.

A cold male voice rang across the courtroom.

"You're late." Alicia squeezed the boy's hand in her's and he managed to speak.

"Sorry," said Harry nervously. "I-I didn't know the time had changed."

"That is not the Wizengamot's fault," said the voice. "An owl was sent to you this morning. Take your seat."

"Unsympathetic fool." Alicia sneered annoyed as Harry noticed the chair in the centre of the room the arms of which were covered in chains. Alicia eyed the chains as she and Harry walked towards it, after all the chains in question had sprang to life and bound whoever sat between them the last time they'd been here. Harry's footsteps echoed loudly as he walked across the stone floor. When he sat gingerly on the edge of the chair the chains clinked rather threateningly but did not bind him. Harry looked up at the people seated at the bench above as Alicia stood behind Harry and placed her hands on his shoulders comfortingly.

"Guys, the entire Wizangamot's here." Alicia whispered and Hermione looked surprised

"What? For just underaged magic?" Ron questioned

"Fudge is really going to lengths." Fred thought.

"Too bad Dumbledore was removed." Ginny believed

"He said he was coming either way." Alicia mumbled as she looked around "He's not here yet though."

There were about fifty of them, all wearing plum-coloured robes with an elaborately worked silver W on the left-hand side of the chest and all staring down their noses at Harry, some with very austere expressions, others looks of frank curiosity.

"Maybe he doesn't know the time's changed?" Ron thought

"Let's hope he gets it." Alicia mumbled "You know if wizards used telephones we wouldn't have missed this information." she mumbled

"Seems mum's gotten the owl." Fred said as they heard worried calls and frantic voices from down the stairs flowing in through the open door.

"If she sees Alicia she might freak."

"Tell her I'm taking a nap to clam my nerves. Perhaps you guys should start playing snap or something?" Alicia offered as she eyed the Wizangomot before her. Then she noticed a few faces the recognised. In the very middle of the front row sat Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. Fudge was a portly man who often sported a lime-green bowler hat, though today he had dispensed with it; he had dispensed too with the indulgent smile he had once worn when he spoke to Harry or Alicia. A broad, square-jawed witch with very short grey hair sat on Fudge's left; she wore a monocle and looked forbidding. On Fudge's right was another witch, but she was sitting so far back on the bench that her face was in shadow.

"Very well," said Fudge. "The accused being present — finally — let us begin. Are you ready?" he called down the row.

"Yes, sir," said an eager voice. Alicia turned to the voice with annoyance. The last, unspoken Weasley brother, Percy, was sitting at the very end of the front bench. Harry looked at Percy, expecting some sign of recognition from him, but none came. Percy's eyes, behind his horn-rimmed glasses, were fixed on his parchment, a quill poised in his hand.

"Percy's here." Alicia said simply. Ron, Ginny and the twins all shared a glance as Hermione looked at them all.

"Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August," said Fudge in a ringing voice, and Percy began taking notes at once, "into oftenses committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.

"Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley —"

"— Witness for the defence, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," said a quiet voice from behind Harry and Alicia, both of which who turned their heads.

"Dumbledore's here!" Alicia said and she heard the collected relieved sighs of the five around her.

Dumbledore was striding serenely across the room wearing long midnight-blue robes and a perfectly calm expression. His long silver beard and hair gleamed in the torchlight as he drew level with Harry and looked up at Fudge through the half-moon spectacles that rested halfway down his very crooked nose.

The members of the Wizengamot were muttering. All eyes were now on Dumbledore. Some looked annoyed, others slightly frightened; two elderly witches in the back row, however, raised their hands and waved in welcome.

"Ah," said Fudge, who looked thoroughly disconcerted. "Dumbledore. Yes. You — er — got our — er — message that the time and — er — place of the hearing had been changed, then?"

"I must have missed it," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done."

"Yes — well — I suppose we'll need another chair — I — Weasley, could you — ?"

"Not to worry, not to worry," said Dumbledore pleasantly; he took out his wand, gave it a little flick, and a squashy chintz armchair appeared out of nowhere next to Harry. Dumbledore sat down, put the tips of his long fingers together, and looked at Fudge over them with an expression of polite interest. The Wizengamot was still muttering and fidgeting restlessly; only when Fudge spoke again did they settle down.

Alicia moved around to stand between the two chairs and sat on the edge of Harry's, glancing down at him, a hopeful look had filled the boys eyes and Alicia nodded, feeling better herself.

"Yes," said Fudge again, shuffling his notes. "Well, then. So. The charges. Yes." He extricated a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read, "The charges against the accused are as follows: That he did knowingly, deliberately, and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on August the second at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offence under paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under section thirteen of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy.

"You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?" Fudge said, glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment.

"Yes," Harry said.

"You received an official warning from the Ministry for using illegal magic three years ago, did you not?"

"Yes, but —"

"And yet you conjured a Patronus on the night of the second of August?" said Fudge.

"Yes," said Harry, "but —"

"Knowing that you are not permitted to use magic outside school while you are under the age of seventeen?"

"Yes, but —"

Alicia balled her fists as she told the five teens about Fudge questioning Harry and yet not allowing him to explain himself. Ginny and Ron were already expressing their annoyance.

"Knowing that you were in an area full of Muggles?"

"Yes, but —"

"Fully aware that you were in close proximity to a Muggle at the time?"

"Yes," said Harry angrily, "but I only used it because we were —"

The witch with the monocle on Fudge's left cut across him in a booming voice.

"You produced a fully fledged Patronus?"

"Yes," said Harry, "because —"

"A corporeal Patronus?"

"A — what?" said Harry.

"Your Patronus had a clearly defined form? I mean to say, it was more than vapour or smoke?"

"Yes," said Harry, feeling both impatient and slightly desperate, "it's a stag, it's always a stag. Just like Alicia's is an owl."

"Always?" boomed Madam Bones. "You have produced a Patronus before now?"

"Yes," said Harry, "I've been doing it for over a year —"

"And you are fifteen years old?"

"Yes, and —"

"You learned this at school?"

"Yes, Professor Lupin taught me in my third year, because of the —"

"Impressive," said Madam Bones, staring down at him, "a true Patronus at that age… very impressive indeed."

Some of the wizards and witches around her were muttering again; a few nodded, but others were frowning and shaking their heads.

"It's not a question of how impressive the magic was," said Fudge in a testy voice. "In fact, the more impressive the worse it is, I would have thought, given that the boy did it in plain view of a Muggle!"

Those who had been frowning now murmured in agreement, but it was the sight of Percy's sanctimonious little nod that goaded Harry into speech.

"I did it because of the dementors!" he said loudly, before anyone could interrupt him again.

He had expected more muttering, but the silence that fell seemed to be somehow denser than before.

"Everyone's gone silent, Harry mentioned the dementors." Alicia mumbled.

"Dementors?" said Madam Bones after a moment, raising her thick eyebrows so that her monocle looked in danger of falling out. "What do you mean, boy?"

"I mean there were two dementors down that alleyway and they went for me and my cousin!"

"Ah," said Fudge again, smirking unpleasantly as he looked around at the Wizengamot, as though inviting them to share the joke. "Yes. Yes, I thought we'd be hearing something like this."

"Dementors in Little Whinging?" Madam Bones said in tones of great surprise. "I don't understand —"

"Don't you, Amelia?" said Fudge, still smirking. "Let me explain. He's been thinking it through and decided dementors would make a very nice little cover story, very nice indeed. Muggles can't see dementors, can they, boy? Highly convenient, highly convenient… so it's just your word and no witnesses…"

"The prick!" Alicia complained before repeating Fudge's allegations.

"I'm not lying!" said Harry loudly, over another outbreak of muttering from the court. "There were two of them, coming from opposite ends of the alley, everything went dark and cold and my cousin felt them and ran for it —"

"Enough, enough!" said Fudge with a very supercilious look on his face. "I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure would have been a very well-rehearsed story —"

Dumbledore cleared his throat. The Wizengamot fell silent again.

"We do, in fact, have a witness to the presence of dementors in that alleyway," he said, "other than Dudley Dursley, I mean."

"Dumbledore's admitting a witness." Alicia said and Hermione had taken her hand to try and calm the girl's anger.

Fudge's plump face seemed to slacken, as though somebody had let air out of it. He stared down at Dumbledore for a moment or two, then, with the appearance of a man pulling himself back together, said, "We haven't got time to listen to more taradiddles, I'm afraid, Dumbledore. I want this dealt with quickly —"

"I may be wrong," said Dumbledore pleasantly, "but I am sure that under the Wizengamot Charter of Rights, the accused has the right to present witnesses for his or her case? Isn't that the policy of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Madam Bones?" he continued, addressing the witch in the monocle.

"True," said Madam Bones. "Perfectly true."

"Oh, very well, very well," snapped Fudge. "Where is this person?"

"I brought her with me," said Dumbledore. "She's just outside the door. Should I — ?"

"No — Weasley, you go," Fudge barked at Percy, who got up at once, hurried down the stone steps from the judge's balcony, and hastened past Dumbledore and Harry without glancing at them.

A moment later, Percy returned, followed by Mrs. Figg. She looked scared and more batty than ever.

"Mrs Figg's here."

Dumbledore stood up and gave Mrs. Figg his chair, conjuring a second one for himself.

"Full name?" said Fudge loudly, when Mrs. Figg had perched herself nervously on the very edge of her seat.

"Arabella Doreen Figg," said Mrs. Figg in her quavery voice.

"And who exactly are you?" said Fudge, in a bored and lofty voice.

"I'm a resident of Little Whinging, close to where Harry Potter lives," said Mrs. Figg.

"We have no record of any witch or wizard living in Little Whinging other than Harry Potter," said Madam Bones at once. "That situation has always been closely monitored, given… given past events."

"I'm a Squib," said Mrs. Figg. "So you wouldn't have me registered, would you?"

"A Squib, eh?" said Fudge, eyeing her suspiciously. "We'll be checking that. You'll leave details of your parentage with my assistant, Weasley. Incidentally, can Squibs see dementors?" he added, looking left and right along the bench where he sat.

"Yes, we can!" said Mrs. Figg indignantly.

"Rude git." Alicia snapped and Harry glanced at her as she indecently said it loud enough that if she was there he'd be able to hear her.

Fudge looked back down at Mrs. Figg, his eyebrows raised.

"Very well," he said coolly. "What is your story?"

"I had gone out to buy cat food from the corner shop at the end of Wisteria Walk, shortly after nine on the evening of the second of August," gabbled Mrs. Figg at once, as though she had learned what she was saying by heart, "when I heard a disturbance down the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. On approaching the mouth of the alleyway I saw dementors running —"

"Running?" said Madam Bones sharply. "Dementors don't run, they glide."

"That's what I meant to say," said Mrs. Figg quickly, patches of pink appearing in her withered cheeks. "Gliding along the alley toward what looked like two boys."

"What did they look like?" said Madam Bones, narrowing her eyes so that the monocle's edges disappeared into her flesh.

"Well, one was very large and the other one rather skinny —"

"No, no," said Madam Bones impatiently, "the dementors… describe them."

"Oh," said Mrs. Figg, the pink flush creeping up her neck now. "They were big. Big and wearing cloaks."

Alicia bit her lip in anticipating. Mrs Figg needed to give more than the general description of a dementor or how could they prove she was there? In order to be convincing she needed to describe the eerie way they moved, hovering inches over the ground, or the rotting smell of them, or that terrible, rattling noise they made as they sucked on the surrounding air…

A dumpy wizard with a large black moustache in the second row leaned close to his neighbour, a frizzy-haired witch, and whispered something in her ear. She smirked and nodded.

"Big and wearing cloaks," repeated Madam Bones coolly, while Fudge snorted derisively. "I see. Anything else?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Figg. "I felt them. Everything went cold, and this was a very warm summer's night, mark you. And I felt… as though all happiness had gone from the world… and I remembered… dreadful things…"

Her voice shook and died.

Madam Bones' eyes widened slightly and Alicia released a breath feeling a little better.

"What did the dementors do?" Madam Bones' asked.

"They went for the boys," said Mrs. Figg, her voice stronger and more confident now, the pink flush ebbing away from her face. "One of them had fallen. The other was backing away, trying to repel the dementor. That was Harry. He tried twice and produced silver vapour. On the third attempt, he produced a Patronus, which charged down the first dementor and then, with his encouragement, chased away the second from his cousin. And that… that was what happened," Mrs. Figg finished, somewhat lamely.

Madam Bones looked down at Mrs. Figg in silence; Fudge was not looking at her at all, but fidgeting with his papers. Finally he raised his eyes and said, rather aggressively "That's what you saw, is it?"

"That was what happened," Mrs. Figg repeated.

"Very well," said Fudge. "You may go."

Mrs. Figg cast a frightened look from Fudge to Dumbledore, then got up and shuffled off toward the door again. Harry heard it thud shut behind her.

"Not a very convincing witness," said Fudge loftily.

"Oh, I don't know," said Madam Bones in her booming voice. "She certainly described the effects of a dementor attack very accurately. And I can't imagine why she would say they were there if they weren't —"

"But dementors wandering into a Muggle suburb and just _happening_ to come across a wizard?" snorted Fudge. "The odds on that must be very, very long, even Bagman wouldn't have bet —"

"Oh, I don't think any of us believe the dementors were there by coincidence," said Dumbledore lightly.

Alicia turned to Dumbledore slightly surprised by what he said.

"Is he seriously going to take this chance to talk about Voldemort?" Alicia asked turning to Harry.

"Knowing Dumbledore he probably wants to convince the Wizengamot." Hermione said looking at those around her.

The witch sitting to the right of Fudge with her face in shadow moved slightly, but everyone else was quite still and silent.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Fudge icily.

"It means that I think they were ordered there," said Dumbledore.

"I think we might have a record of it if someone had ordered a pair of dementors to go strolling through Little Whinging!" barked Fudge.

"Not if the dementors are taking orders from someone other than the Ministry of Magic these days," said Dumbledore calmly. "I have already given you my views on this matter, Cornelius."

"Yes, you have," said Fudge forcefully, "and I have no reason to believe that your views are anything other than bilge, Dumbledore. The dementors remain in place in Azkaban and are doing everything we ask them to."

"Then," said Dumbledore, quietly but clearly, "we must ask ourselves why somebody within the Ministry ordered a pair of dementors into that alleyway on the second of August."

"Yeah come up with an excuse for that _Minister_." Alicia sneered the minister's title.

In the complete silence that greeted these words, the witch to the right of Fudge leaned forward so that her face was for the first time visible. Alicia and Harry shared a look and both instantly thought she looked just like a large, pale toad. She was rather squat with a broad, flabby face, as little neck as Uncle Vernon, and a very wide, slack mouth. Her eyes were large, round, and slightly bulging.

"The Chair recognises Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister," said Fudge.  
The witch spoke in a fluttery, girlish, high-pitched voice that took Harry aback while Alicia blinked. The voice did not nearly represent her appearance. The twins shared a look, both had held been expecting a croak.

"I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Professor Dumbledore," she said with a simper that left her big, round eyes as cold as ever. "So silly of me. But it sounded for a teensy moment as though you were suggesting that the Ministry of Magic had ordered an attack on this boy!"

She gave a silvery laugh that made the hairs on the back of Harry's neck stand up and Alicia to cringe. A few other members of the Wizengamot laughed with her. It could not have been plainer that not one of them was really amused.

"If it is true that the dementors are taking orders only from the Ministry of Magic, and it is also true that two dementors attacked Harry and his cousin a week ago, then it follows logically that somebody at the Ministry might have ordered the attacks," said Dumbledore politely. "Of course, these particular dementors may have been outside Ministry control —"

"There are no dementors outside Ministry control!" snapped Fudge, who had turned brick red.

"Well by these facts it seems there is!" Alicia snapped. Harry felt slightly better that she was as angry with the Minister as he was.

Dumbledore inclined his head in a little bow.

"Then undoubtedly the Ministry will be making a full inquiry into why two dementors were so very far from Azkaban and why they attacked without authorisation."

"It is not for you to decide what the Ministry of Magic does or does not do, Dumbledore!" snapped Fudge, now a shade of magenta.

"Of course it isn't," said Dumbledore mildly. "I was merely expressing my confidence that this matter will not go uninvestigated." He glanced at Madam Bones, who readjusted her monocle and stared back at him, frowning slightly.

"I would remind everybody that the behaviour of these dementors, if indeed they are not figments of this boy's imagination, is not the subject of this hearing!" said Fudge. "We are here to examine Harry Potter's offences under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery!"

"Of course we are," said Dumbledore, "but the presence of dementors in that alleyway is highly relevant. Clause seven of the Decree states that magic may be used before Muggles in exceptional circumstances, and as those exceptional circumstances include situations that threaten the life of the wizard or witch himself, or witches, wizards, or Muggles present at the time of the —"

"We are familiar with clause seven, thank you very much!" snarled Fudge.

"Of course you are," said Dumbledore courteously. "Then we are in agreement that Harry's use of the Patronus Charm in these circumstances falls precisely into the category of exceptional circumstances it describes?"

"If there were dementors, which I doubt —"

"You have heard from an eyewitness," Dumbledore interrupted. "If you still doubt her truthfulness, call her back, question her again. I am sure she would not object."

"I — that — not —" blustered Fudge, fiddling with the papers before him. "It's — I want this over with today, Dumbledore!"

"But naturally, you would not care how many times you heard from a witness, if the alternative was a serious miscarriage of justice," said Dumbledore.

"Serious miscarriage, my hat!" said Fudge at the top of his voice.

"Fudge's lost it." Alicia grinned

"Have you ever bothered to tot up the number of cock-and-bull stories this boy has come out with, Dumbledore, while trying to cover up his flagrant misuse of magic out of school? I suppose you've forgotten the Hover Charm he used three years ago —"

"That wasn't me, it was a house-elf!" said Harry.

"YOU SEE?" roared Fudge, gesturing flamboyantly in Harry's direction. "A house-elf! In a Muggle house! I ask you —"

"The house-elf in question is currently in the employ of Hogwarts School," said Dumbledore. "I can summon him here in an instant to give evidence if you wish."

"I — not — I haven't got time to listen to house-elves! Anyway, that's not the only — he blew up his aunt, for God's sake!" Fudge shouted, banging his fist on the judge's bench and upsetting a bottle of ink.

Alicia was grinning at Fudge's anger and the fact he'd completely lost his cool in front of the Wizengamot.

"Don't let any personal feelings interfere with the case why don't you Minister." Alicia said and Harry was surprised to see the grin on her face as she watched the man with amusement.

"And you very kindly did not press charges on that occasion, accepting, I presume, that even the best wizards cannot always control their emotions," said Dumbledore calmly, as Fudge attempted to scrub the ink off his notes.

"And I haven't even started on what he gets up to at school —"

"— but as the Ministry has no authority to punish Hogwarts students for misdemeanours at school, Harry's behaviour there is not relevant to this inquiry," said Dumbledore, politely as ever, but now with a suggestion of coolness behind his words.

"Oho!" said Fudge. "Not our business what he does at school, eh? You think so?" Alicia's eyes narrowed, as though this was a challenge Fudge was accepting.

"The Ministry does not have the power to expel Hogwarts students, Cornelius, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August," said Dumbledore. "Nor does it have the right to confiscate wands until charges have been successfully proven, again, as I reminded you on the night of the second of August. In your admirable haste to ensure that the law is upheld, you appear, inadvertently I am sure, to have overlooked a few laws yourself."

"Laws can be changed," said Fudge savagely.

"Of course they can," said Dumbledore, inclining his head. "And you certainly seem to be making many changes, Cornelius. Why, in the few short weeks since I was asked to leave the Wizengamot, it has already become the practice to hold a full criminal trial to deal with a simple matter of underage magic!"

A few of the wizards above them shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Fudge turned a slightly deeper shade of puce. The toadlike witch on his right, however, merely gazed at Dumbledore, her face quite expressionless.

"As far as I am aware, however," Dumbledore continued, "there is no law yet in place that says this court's job is to punish Harry for every bit of magic he has ever performed. He has been charged with a specific offence and he has presented his defence. All he and I can do now is to await your verdict."

Dumbledore put his fingertips together again and said no more. Fudge glared at him, evidently incensed. Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, seeking reassurance. Again, however, Dumbledore seemed oblivious to Harry's attempt to catch his eye. He continued to look up at the benches where the entire Wizengamot had fallen into urgent, whispered conversations.

Alicia in her worry and anticipation had stood back up to her feet while Harry looked at his feet. Alicia saw him opened his mouth to speak and she nudged him to catch his attention, so he'd see her shake her head. He didn't need to say more and anything he did could change anything and everything. She believed that with Dumbledore pointing out the rules and Mrs Figg's testament it would be alright. Despite that Hermione and Ginny were both biting their lips while Ron watched Alicia in anticipation and the twins were both fidgeting.

Then the whispering stopped.

"Those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?" said Madam Bones's booming voice.

There were hands in the air, many of them… more than half! Alicia grinned as Madam Bones spoke the next question. "And those in favour of conviction?"

Fudge raised his hand; so did half a dozen others, including the witch on his right and the heavily moustached wizard and the frizzy-haired witch in the second row.

Fudge glanced around at them all, looking as though there was something large stuck in his throat, then lowered his own hand. He took two deep breaths and then said, in a voice distorted by suppressed rage, "Very well, very well… cleared of all charges."

"Excellent," said Dumbledore briskly, springing to his feet, pulling out his wand, and causing the two chintz armchairs to vanish. "Well, I must be getting along. Good day to you all."

And without looking once at Harry, he swept from the dungeon.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Alicia sprang up and opened her eyes to look at the five.

"Cleared of all charges!" she squealed and Hermione and Ginny did the same before the girl's flung themselves at Alicia. Ron released a breath and the twins grinned, chiming "Excellent."

Alicia released the girls and looked at them surprised.

"He's going to Hogwarts still!" she beamed as she got to her feet. She stopped again in realisation before surprising the five around her when she shouted.

"Sirius!" and she ran from the room and down the stairs shouting for Sirius. Mrs Weasley appeared also as the other five cluttered down the stairs behind her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Mrs Weasley asked as Sirius appeared behind the women

"Did you see Harry? The time and place of the hearing changed, we got an owl…!" Sirius wondered

"The hearing just ended." Alicia cut them both off and Mrs Weasley looked at the girl confused as Sirius was expectant "Cleared of all charges!" Alicia said again before jumping up and down and dancing. Ginny happily joined in with her and the two laughed as they danced around the landing, only to have Sirius' mother's curtains burst open and the women to start screaming to drown them out. Alicia was so happy she just started laughing with her hands over her ears and turned to run down to the kitchen. Ginny followed her and the twins just apparated. Sirius and Mrs Weasley pulled the curtains closed before joining them just after Hermione and Ron.

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please, Whether we be old and bald Or young with scabby knees," Alicia sang before she started laughing again and twirling around the kitchen. "Harry's going to Hogwarts with me! Harry's going to Hogwarts with us!" she cheered.

The twins started dancing around the kitchen with Alicia and began to chant three words: _He got off_ over and over again.

They danced around the kitchen chanting as Sirius chuckled at them and Mrs Weasley began to cook lunch. Alicia stopped suddenly and ran for the stairs, earning a confused look from Hermione. The girl ran up the stairs and into the entrance hall to find Harry and Mr Weasley there. Alicia flung herself into Harry's arms and he grinned as he twirled her.

"We're going to Hogwarts!"

"You always were?" Harry reminded her remembering to keep his voice low, glancing at the closed curtains.

"Not without you I wasn't." Alicia snapped "And it doesn't matter now anyway!" she grinned hugging him again. "I knew Mrs Figg's case would help!"

"Alicia how did you know the outcome?" Mr Weasley asked whispering

"Doesn't matter." Alicia said before grabbing Harry's hand. "Come on!" and she pulled him down to the hall and then down the stairs into the kitchen. Ginny had joined Fred and George chanting as Ron got up grinning. Mr Weasley looked at his children as Harry looked at them all nodding.

"Cleared." he said to them all grinning. "Of all charges." he said and Sirius nodded grinning as the three continued to chant in a war dance like way.

"I knew it!" yelled Ron, punching the air as Harry, Mr Weasley and Alicia took a seat. "You always get away with stuff!"

"You do remember they're all… crap things to get in trouble for?" Alicia reminded him

"They were bound to clear you," said Hermione "There was no case against you, none at all…"

"Everyone seems quite relieved, though, considering they all knew I'd get off," said Harry, smiling.

Mrs. Weasley was wiping her face on her apron as the three Weasley's continued to dance and cheer.

"He got off, he got off, he got off —"

"That's enough, settle down!" shouted Mr. Weasley, though he too was smiling. "Listen, Sirius, Lucius Malfoy was at the Ministry —"

"What?" said Sirius sharply.

"He works there?" Alicia said at Sirius' question.

"He's a Death Eater." Harry reminded her

"Yeah and Fudge doesn't believe that so no surprise he's still there." Alicia scowled

" _He got off, he got off, he got off_ —"

"Be quiet, you three! Yes, we saw him talking to Fudge on level nine, then they went up to Fudge's office together. Dumbledore ought to know."

"Absolutely," said Sirius. "We'll tell him, don't worry."

"Well, I'd better get going, there's a vomiting toilet in Bethnal Green waiting for me. Molly, I'll be late, I'm covering for Tonks, but Kingsley might be dropping in for dinner —"

" _He got off, he got off, he got off_ —"

"That's enough — Fred — George — Ginny!" said Mrs. Weasley, as Mr. Weasley left the kitchen. "Harry dear, have some lunch, you hardly ate breakfast…"

Ron and Hermione sat themselves down opposite the twins looking happier than they had done since he had first arrived at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and it instantly seemed to make the gloomy house seemed warmer and more welcoming all of a sudden; even Kreacher looked less ugly as he poked his snoutlike nose into the kitchen to investigate the source of all the noise.

" 'Course, once Dumbledore turned up on your side, there was no way they were going to convict you," said Ron happily, now dishing great mounds of mashed potatoes onto everyone's plates.

"Yeah, he swung it for me," said Harry. Harry looked at Alicia who frowned slightly and turned away without answering his thoughts. She knew he was upset the man had basically ignored him.

Alicia felt a prick in her neck and turned as Harry clapped his hand to his scar on his forehead.

"What's up?" said Hermione, looking alarmed.

"Scar," Harry mumbled. "But it's nothing… It happens all the time now…"

None of the others had noticed a thing; all of them were now helping themselves to food while gloating over Harry's narrow escape; Fred, George, and Ginny were still singing. Hermione looked rather anxious, but before she could say anything, Ron said happily, "I bet Dumbledore turns up this evening to celebrate with us, you know."

"I don't think he'll be able to, Ron," said Mrs. Weasley, setting a huge plate of roast chicken down in front of Harry. "He's really very busy at the moment."

"I don't think he'd come anyway." Alicia said and Harry looked at her confused along with Ron and Hermione of which the two had heard her.  
"HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF, HE GOT OFF —"

"SHUT UP!" roared Mrs. Weasley.

"Yeah come eat some food before Ron eats it all." Alicia said earning a scowl from the boy and a laugh from his siblings.

* * *

Despite the much happier atmosphere since Harry's hearing, one person was not feeling the celebrations. Granted he'd been overjoyed when the news had first come back and was beaming and wringing Harry's hand with everyone else, Sirius' mood had quickly dampened and become sullied. He spoke less to everyone, the black haired twins included, and was shutting himself up in his Mother's room with Buckbeak.

Harry had noticed this just as much as Alicia, but he was feeling guilty about it where as Alicia was disappointed in the man, despite understanding why he was feeling how he was.

"Don't you go feeling guilty!" said Hermione sternly, after Harry had confided some of his feelings to her, Alicia and Ron while they scrubbed out a mouldy cupboard on the third floor a few days later. "You belong at Hogwarts and Sirius knows it. Personally, I think he's being selfish."

"That's a bit harsh, Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he attempted to prize off a bit of mould that had attached itself firmly to his finger, "you wouldn't want to be stuck inside this house without company."

"He'll have company!" said Hermione. "It's headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, isn't it? He just got his hopes up that Harry would be coming to live here with him."

"I don't think that's true," said Harry, wringing out his cloth. "He wouldn't give me a straight answer when I asked him if I could."

"He just didn't want to get his own hopes up even more," said Hermione wisely. "And he probably felt a bit guilty himself, because I think a part of him was really hoping you'd be expelled. Then you'd both be outcasts together."

"Come off it!" said Harry and Ron together, but Hermione merely shrugged.

"No she's right." Alicia sighed "It's something he and I have mentioned a few times before Harry even arrived." she confessed

"Don't be silly." Ron believed

"Suit yourselves. But I sometimes think Ron's mum's right, and Sirius gets confused about whether you're you or your father, Harry."

"So you think he's touched in the head?" said Harry heatedly.

"No, I just think he's been very lonely for a long time," said Hermione simply.

At this point Mrs. Weasley entered the bedroom behind them.

"Still not finished?" she said, poking her head into the cupboard.

"I thought you might be here to tell us to have a break!" said Ron bitterly. "D'you know how much mould we've got rid of since we arrived here?"

"You were so keen to help the Order," said Mrs. Weasley, "you can do your bit by making headquarters fit to live in."

"It's not like there's a time limit to do so in." Alicia replied annoyed, earning nothing but a disappointed look from the plump women.

"Alicia," Hermione scolded but the girl just shrugged

"I feel like a house-elf," grumbled Ron.

"Well, now that you understand what dreadful lives they lead, perhaps you'll be a bit more active in S.P.E.W.!" said Hermione hopefully, as Mrs. Weasley left them to it again. "You know, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to show people exactly how horrible it is to clean all the time — we could do a sponsored scrub of Gryffindor common room, all proceeds to S.P.E.W., it would raise awareness as well as funds —"

"I'll sponsor you to shut up about spew," Ron muttered irritably, but only so Harry could hear him.

"Hermione you remember those house elves last year, the effort is pointless. You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped." Alicia said to the girl.

"They just don't know they want the help."

"No, they're happy with how they are, there's a complete difference and you're being silly." Alicia corrected.

Hermione had not answered or replied to the girl but pursed her lips closed and returned to her cleaning.

The days flew by and the beginning of September grew closer and closer. Alicia excitement of going to Hogwarts began to increase as she imagined her classes, the spells she'd learn, the books she needed, Hagrid and more importantly than anything, Quidditch, which she'd been deprived of the year before having had the Trwizard Tournament being held at Hogwarts instead.

Her excitement helped her to ignore Harry's complaints about not being included in any of the Order's business. The boy had seemed to think it was luxurious and that they'd be getting information every hour, but Mrs Weasley had made sure that everyone, Harry included, were kept well out of earshot (whether Extendable or normal) and nobody, not even Sirius, seemed to feel that either twin needed to know anything more than they had heard on the night of Harry's arrival. Of which Alicia still believed to be nothing.

The last day of the holidays approached quicker than Alicia expected and she had her trunk packed and ready for departure other than the few essentials she'd need for next morning. She moved towards the stairs and down them to the second landing when Ron walked up and caught her attention by waving some letters he had in his hands.

"Booklists." he said

"Finally." Alicia said as she took hers and then moved off with Ron into his and Harry's room where Harry was sweeping Hedwig's owl droppings up from on top of the wardrobe.

"Booklists have arrived," he said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair. "About time, I thought they'd forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this…"

"There must've been a problem to cause the delay." Alicia said as she opened her letter.

Harry swept the last of the droppings into a rubbish bag and threw the bag over Ron's head into the wastepaper basket in the corner, which swallowed it and belched loudly. He then opened his letter. Alicia pulled the two usual two pieces of parchment from the envelope, one the usual reminder that term started on the first of September, the other listing which books were needed for the coming year.

"Only two new ones," Harry said, reading the list. " _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_ , by Miranda Goshawk and _Defensive Magical Theory_ , by Wilbert Slinkhard."

"Theory?" Alicia asked reading her own.

 _Crack_.

Fred and George Apparated right beside Harry. He was so used to them doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair.

"We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally.

"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George.

"And about time too," said Fred.

"That might explain why the booklists are so late." Alicia said to them as George nodded to her.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down beside them.

"Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, "and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."

"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" said George.

"One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fingers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

"People thought it was jinxed remember?" Alicia said

"What's up with you, Ron?" asked Fred.

Ron did not answer and Alicia turned to him before raising an eyebrow. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts.

"What's the matter?" said Fred impatiently, moving around Ron to look over his shoulder at the parchment.

Fred's mouth fell open too.

"Prefect?" he said, staring incredulously at the letter.

" _Prefect_?" George leapt forward, seized the envelope in Ron's other hand, and turned it upside down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm. "No way," said George in a hushed voice.

"There's been a mistake," said Fred, snatching the letter out of Ron's grasp and holding it up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect…"

The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.

"We thought you were a cert!" said Fred in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.

"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" said George indignantly.

"Winning the Triwizard and everything!" said Fred. "Alicia do you have one?" Fred asked her and the girl rose an eyebrow

"Me?" she asked confused

"Yeah you and Harry were shoe-ins for it!" Fred believed and he took Alicia's letter, but the word 'prefect' was not written anywhere on the parchment.

"I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against them," said George to Fred.

"Yeah," said Fred slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."

"Who else would get Alicia's though?" George wondered

"Hermione." Alicia nodded "And it's not mine." she said as Fred strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.

" _Prefect_ … ickle Ronnie the prefect…"

"Oh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.

Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, and then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large P was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.

The door banged open. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.

"Alicia!" Hermione said running to her "I can't believe… I thought you'd be… but I mean…" Alicia rolled her eyes and the girl's expression changed as she turned to Harry

"Did you — did you get — ?"

She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"

"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand. "It's Ron, not me."

"It — what?"

"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.

" _Ron_?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But… are you sure? I mean —"

She turned red as Ron looked around at her with a defiant expression on his face.

"It's my name on the letter," he said.

"I…" said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I… well… wow! Well done, Ron! That's really —"

"Unexpected," said George, nodding.

"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no, it's not… Ron's done loads of… he's really… to be honest I expected Alicia and Harry too instead off me…" she said

"So did we." the twins agreed as the ones in question shared a look.

The door behind Hermione opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.

"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting the robes into two piles. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pyjamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing… what colour would you like?"

"Get him red and gold to match his badge," said George, smirking.

"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of maroon socks and placing them on Ron's pile.

"His _badge_ ," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new _prefect's badge_."

Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation about pyjamas.

"His… but… Ron, you're not…?"

Ron held up his badge.

Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"

"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.

"Apparently." Alicia mumbled to them "It's okay, you can be part of my family instead." She grinned, nudging them and both boys slung their arms around her, nodding.

"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh _Ronnie_ —"

Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

Alicia had unconsciously crossed her arms over her chest at the exchange and glanced at Hermione still beside her as Ron complained at Mrs Weasley's actions.

"Mum… don't… Mum, get a grip…" he muttered, trying to push her away.

She let go of him and said breathlessly, "Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."

"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.

"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"

"We've already bought him some," said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.

"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers —"

"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom?"

Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.

"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just — just a new one for a change…"

Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled.

"Of course you can… Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later… Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks… A prefect… Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.

Fred and George exchanged looks.

"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.

"We could curtsy, if you like," said George.

"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.

"Or what?" said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"

"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George.

"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily, at which Fred and George burst out laughing and Ron muttered, "Drop it, Hermione."

"We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, "with these two on our case…"

"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head.

And with another loud _crack_ , the twins Disapparated.

"Those two!" said Hermione furiously, staring up at the ceiling, through which they could now hear Fred and George roaring with laughter in the room upstairs. "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron, they're only jealous!"

"I don't think they are," said Ron doubtfully, also looking up at the ceiling. "They've always said only prats become prefects… Still," he added on a happier note, "they've never had new brooms! I wish I could go with Mum and choose… She'll never be able to afford a Nimbus, but there's the new Cleansweep out, that'd be great… Yeah, I think I'll go and tell her I like the Cleansweep, just so she knows…"

He dashed from the room, leaving Harry, Alicia and Hermione alone.

Harry turned to his bed, turning his back to Hermione as Alicia was staring at the door Ron had disappeared through. Harry picked up the pile of clean robes Mrs. Weasley had laid upon it, and crossed the room to his trunk.

"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively.

"Well done," said Harry, so heartily it did not sound like his voice at all, and he still was not looking at her. "Brilliant. Prefect. Great."

"Thanks," said Hermione. "Erm — Harry — could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased — I mean, prefect is something they can understand —"

"Yeah, no problem," said Harry, still in the horrible hearty voice that did not belong to him. "Take her!"

Hermione crossed the room to the wardrobe and called Hedwig down before she moved from the room with the owl.

Alicia sat on one of the beds and stared at the floor as Harry continued bent over at his trunk before he finally looked up to see his sister. If Alicia was honest, prefects wasn't something she'd remembered about amongst all her anger and annoyance at everyone in this house and trying to work her connection with Harry in her favour. Of course Hermione was definitely a good choice as she was smart and a good role model, not breaking the rules like Alicia had often done with Harry. But then there was the fact that Harry and her had stopped Voldemort from getting the philosopher's stone and then saved Ginny from the basilisk and Tom Riddle, not to mention saving Sirius and defeating all those dementors, and then there was the Triwizard Tournament and escaping Voldemort in the graveyard… did all that really count for nothing?

Alicia was too busy trying to understand what had just transpired to see Harry screw up his face and bury it in his hands. The girl did look up though when he gave a small snort of laughter, only to see his expression turn disgusted afterwards.

"Tell me you feel sort of disappointed about this as well?" Alicia muttered and Harry turned to her. "I mean, I'm not smarter or braver or better than Hermione but… I kind of thought… even if it is a crap thing to be thinking about…" she mumbled turning her gaze away. "When you think about it… logically I guess, doesn't it seem more likely that we…" she broke off again.

"Yeah," Harry replied "I guess Ron's just got something I don't…" he mumbled

"Come off it." Alicia said "Not that Ron's not great but…" she said before frowning and shaking her head. "Why can't we just feel proud of our friends?" she sighed annoyed as she covered her face in her hands. "I mean, Hermione and Ron… Ron especially, are always second, well to you, you being the famous one but…" she said "They deserve this… right?" she asked and Harry turned his expression down.

"Yeah… I mean, can I, Ron's best friend in the world, sulk because I don't have a badge? Laugh with the twins behind Ron's back, ruin this for Ron when, for the first time, he's actually beaten me at something?" Harry asked as he moved to sit opposite Alicia "Especially after last year?" he added.

Ron had, with practically everyone else in the school, accused Harry of putting his own name in the Goblet of Fire the year before and resulted in the two boys separating for several months. Hermione believed this was because Ron was living in the shadows of all his brothers and then, on top of that, Harry as well.

"You might have more to feel frustrated in, I mean Hermione's—"

"You'll feel crap if you say actual competition or anything along those lines." Alicia said "But I know what you're getting at. At first we were just having a friendly competition as to who get the better grades, but, in the long run that was leading up to this…" Alicia mumbled looking down again.

"You're right, we should be feeling happy for them…" Harry said

"If you think about it, we're both feeling as crap as one another so… at least it wasn't just one of us feeling the disappointment." she said and Harry nodded.

Both of them turned to the door as Ron's footsteps on the stairs began. Harry stood and straightened his glasses before he hitched a grin onto his face just before Ron bounded back through the door.

"Just caught her!" he said happily. "She says she'll get the Cleansweep if she can."

"Cool," Harry said, and he was relieved to hear that his voice had stopped sounding hearty. "Listen — Ron — well done, mate."

The smile faded off Ron's face.

"I never thought it would be me!" he said, shaking his head, "I thought it would be you!" he glanced at Alicia who watched them both.

"Nah, I've caused too much trouble," Harry said, echoing Fred.

"Yeah," said Ron, "yeah, I suppose… Well, we'd better get our trunks packed, hadn't we?" Alicia looked at them both and her gaze settled on Harry. She sighed, if he could do it so could she and so she got up and moved off down the stairs to Hermione and Ginny's room, the girls of which were packing their trunks. Alicia knocked on the door.

"Hey," Ginny grinned "You hear?" she asked

"Course, and Hermione congratulations, you seriously deserve it." Alicia nodded and Hermione smiled but looked slightly uncertain.

"I wont deny that I thought you'd get it…" Hermione admitted

"And I wont deny to say I thought the same." Alicia nodded

"So you're… okay?" Hermione asked

"Hermione, you deserve just as much as I might have." Alicia said "I can't say I'm not disappointed because to be honest it would've been nice but in the long run, you are a better roll model." Alicia said as she sat on one of the beds "After all you follow the rules a lot better than I do." she smiled an Hermione chuckled

"I guess that's true." she nodded

"Understatement." Ginny believed and Alicia threw a pillow at her.

Mrs. Weasley returned from Diagon Alley around six o'clock, laden with books and carrying a long package wrapped in thick brown paper that Ron took from her with a moan of longing.

"Never mind unwrapping it now, people are arriving for dinner, I want you all downstairs," she said, but the moment she was out of sight Ron ripped off the paper in a frenzy and examined every inch of his new broom, an ecstatic expression on his face.

Alicia had quickly returned to her room to pack the books Mrs Weasley had bought for her and then descended to the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read _Congratulations Ron and Hermione — New Prefects_. No one could deny that Mrs Weasley seemed to be in a better mood than she had been all holiday. She was even pleasant to Alicia, greeting her happily which was a rarity these days.

"I thought we'd have a little party, not a sit-down dinner," she told Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny as they entered the room. "Your father and Bill are on their way, Ron, I've sent them both owls and they're thrilled," she added, beaming.

Fred rolled his eyes.

Sirius, Lupin, Tonks, and Kingsley Shacklebolt were already there and Mad-Eye Moody stumped in shortly after Harry had got himself a butterbeer.

"Oh, Alastor, I am glad you're here," said Mrs. Weasley brightly, as Mad-Eye shrugged off his traveling cloak. "We've been wanting to ask you for ages — could you have a look in the writing desk in the drawing room and tell us what's inside it? We haven't wanted to open it just in case it's something really nasty."

"No problem, Molly…"

Moody's electric-blue eye swivelled upward and stared fixedly through the ceiling of the kitchen.

"Drawing room…" he growled, as the pupil contracted. "Desk in the corner? Yeah, I see it… Yeah, it's a boggart… Want me to go up and get rid of it, Molly?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself later," beamed Mrs. Weasley. "You have your drink. We're having a little bit of a celebration, actually…" She gestured at the scarlet banner. "Fourth prefect in the family!" she said fondly, ruffling Ron's hair.

"Prefect, eh?" growled Moody, his normal eye on Ron and his magical eye swivelling around to gaze into the side of his head. Alicia glanced at Harry beside her who looked slightly uncomfortable. If the girl had to guess, it looked as though the eye was looking at him.

"Well, congratulations," said Moody, still glaring at Ron with his normal eye, "authority figures always attract trouble, but I suppose Dumbledore thinks you can withstand most major jinxes or he wouldn't have appointed you…"

Ron looked rather startled at this view of the matter but was saved the trouble of responding by the arrival of his father and eldest brother. Mrs. Weasley was in such a good mood she did not even complain that they had brought Mundungus with them too; he was wearing a long overcoat that seemed oddly lumpy in unlikely places and declined the offer to remove it and put it with Moody's traveling cloak.

"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyone had a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the new Gryffindor prefects!"

Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them and then applauded.

"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly from behind Harry and Alicia as everybody moved toward the table to help themselves to food. Her hair was tomato-red and waist length today; she looked like Ginny's older sister. "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities."

"Like what?" said Ginny, who was choosing a baked potato.

"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks.

Ginny laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not know whether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra large gulp of butterbeer and choking on it.

"Sounds like Alicia." Ginny decided, only to receive a nudge.

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, thumping Hermione on the back.

Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual barklike laugh.

"No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time in detention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge."

"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcely say that I failed dismally."

Alicia couldn't help but laugh and she saw Harry brighten up considerably at the idea that their father wasn't a prefect. She did feel slightly better herself by the idea.

"Your mother of course was a different case, became Head Girl and all." Lupin added and Harry looked at Alicia who sighed. She hadn't expected anything less if she was honest.

Ron was rhapsodising about his new broom to anybody who would listen.

"… naught to seventy in ten seconds, not bad, is it? When you think the Comet Two Ninety's only naught to sixty and that's with a decent tailwind according to _Which Broomstick?_ "

Hermione was talking very earnestly to Lupin about her view of elf rights.

"I mean, it's the same kind of nonsense as werewolf segregation, isn't it? It all stems from this horrible thing wizards have of thinking they're superior to other creatures…"

Mrs. Weasley and Bill were having their usual argument about Bill's hair which Alicia slid past as she noticed Fred and George talking to Mundungus in the corner and moved suspiciously.

"So," she said and they three turned as she crouched with them "Joke shop talk?" she wondered as Harry spied them also. Mundungus looked from Alicia to Harry who was spying them over liicia's head. Fred however winked and beckoned Harry closer.

"It's okay," he told Mundungus, "we can trust Harry, he's our financial backer." Mundungus looked at Alicia who gave him a look that dared him to question her as George continued

"Look what Dung's gotten us," said George, holding out his hand to Harry. It was full of what looked like shrivelled black pods. A faint rattling noise was coming from them, even though they were completely stationary.

"Venomous Tentacula seeds," said George. "We need them for the Skiving Snackboxes but they're a Class C Non-Tradeable Substance so we've been having a bit of trouble getting hold of them."

"They're also very valuable so." Alicia added

"Ten Galleons the lot, then, Dung?" said Fred.

"Wiv all the trouble I went to to get 'em?" said Mundungus, his saggy, bloodshot eyes stretching even wider. "I'm sorry, lads, but I'm not taking a Knut under twenty."

"Dung likes his little joke," Fred said to Harry.

"Yeah, his best one so far has been six Sickles for a bag of knarl quills," said George.

"As long as you guys are on top of how much things are worth then what he charges can be changed if unreasonable." Alicia said to them

"Be careful," Harry warned them quietly.

"What?" said Fred. "Mum's busy cooing over Prefect Ron, we're okay."

"But Moody could have his eye on you," Harry pointed out. Mundungus looked nervously over his shoulder.

"Good point, that," he grunted. "All right, lads, ten it is, if you'll take 'em quick."

"Cheers, Harry!" said Fred delightedly, when Mundungus had emptied his pockets into the twins' outstretched hands and scuttled off toward the food. "We'd better get these upstairs…"

"Before your mother finds out." Alicia nodded and the two watched them go. Alicia turned to Harry as she felt his uneasiness and rose an eyebrow at him. The boy sighed.

"What if Mrs Weasley finds out where they got the money from and it leads to another family row and a Percy-like estrangement?" he asked her quietly "Would Mrs. Weasley still feel that I was as good as her son if she found out I had made it possible for Fred and George to start a career she thinks is unsuitable?" Alicia rolled her eyes

"Harry, Percy is gone because he accused his parents of following their dreams and basically blamed them for something that is not their fault. He disowned them by deciding to call them liars. If you ask me, as long as the twins are happy, so will Mr and Mrs Weasley be." Alicia believed "And who knows, if the boys are really successful then their parents might even thank you." she shrugged

Kingsley Shacklebolt's deep voice was audible even over the surrounding chatter and the twins stopped as they heard the topic of his conversation with Lupin.

"… why Dumbledore didn't make the Potters prefects?" said Kingsley.

"He'll have had his reasons," replied Lupin.  
"But it would've shown confidence in them. It's what I'd've done," persisted Kingsley, "'specially with the Daily Prophet having a go at Harry every few days…" Alicia and Harry shared a look and the girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Personally I think Dumbledore's having a bit of a laps at the moment." she mumbled

"Why?" Harry asked

"He thought leaving you at the Dursley's for so long was the right thing and now, he hasn't spoken a word to you since we were in the Hospital Wing last term." Alicia reminded him "Obviously the man is following some theory and it doesn't seem to be working well." she said as she moved to the table to grab some food, Harry following her. "Of course he's not talking to you to tell you why…" she mumbled dropping her gaze.

Alicia sighed. The prefects had reminded her of how everyone now knew her true identity. Here in Grimmauld Place there was not much difference to before, after all, the news had had time to sink in. Of course the Order members they did not see as often had taken to staring at Alicia but it hadn't lasted long.

Now however she'd be going to Hogwarts and she expected everyone to be watching her every move. People might even question her and as people don't believe Dumbledore about Voldemort they might call her an attention seeker and a liar.

The ideas for once didn't make her want to roll her eyes and snap at everyone or ignore it like usual, for some reason, she'd rather not have to deal with it all.

Mad-Eye Moody was sniffing at a chicken leg with what remained of his nose; evidently he could not detect any trace of poison, because he then tore a strip off it with his teeth.

"… the handle's made of Spanish oak with anti-jinx varnish and in-built vibration control —" Ron was saying to Tonks.

Mrs. Weasley yawned widely.

"Well, I think I'll sort out that boggart before I turn in… Arthur, I don't want this lot up too late, all right? 'Night, Harry, dear, Alicia." Alicia simply watched her go as Harry set his plate down.

"You all right, Potter?" grunted Moody.

"Yeah, fine," lied Harry.

Moody took a swig from his hip flask, his electric blue eye staring sideways at Harry. Alicia glanced at the Ex-Auror with a small inkling he knew Harry felt otherwise.

"Come here, I've got something that might interest you," he said. From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered old Wizarding photograph.

"Original Order of the Phoenix," growled Moody. "Found it last night when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing as Podmore hasn't had the manners to return my best one… Thought people might like to see it." the photo caught Alicia's attention and she looked over Harry's shoulder as he took the photograph. A small crowd of people, some waving at him, others lifting their glasses.

"There's me," said Moody unnecessarily, pointing at himself. The Moody in the picture was unmistakable, though his hair was slightly less grey and his nose was intact. "And there's Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side… That's Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That's Frank and Alice Longbottom —"

Alicia frowned as Harry's stomach, already uncomfortable, clenched as they looked at Alice Longbottom; her round, friendly face was one both were very familiar with, even though they had never met her, because she was the image of her son, Neville.

"Poor devils," growled Moody. "Better dead than what happened to them… and that's Emmeline Vance, you've met her, and that there's Lupin, obviously… Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we only ever found bits of him… shift aside there," he added, poking the picture, and the little photographic people edged sideways, so that those who were partially obscured could move to the front.

"That's Edgar Bones… brother of Amelia Bones, they got him and his family too, he was a great wizard… Sturgis Podmore, blimey, he looks young… Caradoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, we never found his body… Hagrid, of course, looks exactly the same as ever… Elphias Doge, you've met him, I'd forgotten he used to wear that stupid hat… Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to kill him and his brother Fabian, they fought like heroes… budge along, budge along…"

The little people in the photograph jostled among themselves, and those hidden right at the back appeared at the forefront of the picture.

"That's Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, only time I ever met him, strange bloke… That's Dorcas Meadowes, Voldemort killed her personally… Sirius, when he still had short hair… and… there you go, thought that would interest you!"

Alicia couldn't help but reach for the photo and Harry allowed her to hold it as his heart turned over. Their mother and father were beaming up at them, sitting on either side of a small, watery-eyed man the twins recognised at once as Wormtail: He was the one who had betrayed their whereabouts to Voldemort and so helped bring about their deaths.

"Eh?" said Moody.

Harry looked up into Moody's heavily scarred and pitted face. Evidently Moody was under the impression he had just given Harry a bit of a treat.

"Yeah," said Harry, attempting to grin again as Alicia looked at the picture more closely. "Er… listen, I've just remembered, I haven't packed my…"

He was spared the trouble of inventing an object he had not packed; Sirius had just said, "What's that you've got there, Mad-Eye?" and Moody had turned toward him. Harry crossed the kitchen, slipped through the door and up the stairs before anyone could call him back.

Alicia didn't glance after the boy as she looked at the photo. Sirius came to look over her shoulder and he chuckled before sending a laugh Lupin's way who joined Sirius behind her. Soon everyone was reminiscing over the photo and explaining to those who didn't know about the members who weren't here today. Alicia simply stared down at the picture in her hands and at her parents happy faces, waving and smiling.

Alicia wasn't sure how she felt. She loved seeing photos of her parents, but seeing them next to Wormtail angered her. And then seeing all the happy occupants of the photo who didn't know what was going to happen to them, some in the not so distant future, that saddened her.

The girl suddenly stopped however as she heard a crack and then sobbing, Harry's voice joining them. Alicia looked up from the photo and with it still in her hands she turned for the door, jogging out. Sirius and Lupin who she'd pushed past shared a look before they followed, Moody doing the same. They climbed to the second landing to find Harry in the doorway of the drawing room.

Three cracks sounded as Alicia joined Harry in time to see him dead on the floor and then for it to turn into her self with another crack. Her eyes widened surprised as Harry suddenly shouted

"Mrs. Weasley, just get out of here!" he was staring down at Alicia's own dead body on the floor to which she was surprised by. "Let someone else —"

"What's going on?"

Lupin had come running into the room, closely followed by Sirius, with Moody stumping along behind them. Lupin looked from Mrs. Weasley to the dead Alicia on the floor and seemed to understand in an instant. Pulling out his own wand he said, very firmly and clearly, " _Riddikulus_!"

Alicia's body vanished. A silvery orb hung in the air over the spot where it had lain. Lupin waved his wand once more and the orb vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Oh — oh — oh!" gulped Mrs. Weasley, and she broke into a storm of crying, her face in her hands.

"Molly," said Lupin bleakly, walking over to her, "Molly, don't…" Next second she was sobbing her heart out on Lupin's shoulder. "Molly, it was just a boggart," he said soothingly, patting her on the head. "Just a stupid boggart…" despite knowing it was just a boggart Harry had taken his sister's hand in his as though needing the reassurance that she was fine and standing beside him.

"I see them d-d-dead all the time!" Mrs. Weasley moaned into his shoulder. "All the t-t-time! I d-d-dream about it…"

Sirius was staring at the patch of carpet where the boggart, pretending to be Alicia's body, had lain. Moody was looking at Harry, who avoided his gaze.

"D-d-don't tell Arthur," Mrs. Weasley was gulping now, mopping her eyes frantically with her cuffs. "I d-d-don't want him to know… Being silly…"

Lupin handed her a handkerchief and she blew her nose.

"Harry, I'm so sorry, what must you think of me?" she said shakily. "Not even able to get rid of a boggart…"

"Don't be stupid," said Harry, trying to smile.

"I'm just s-s-so worried," she said, tears spilling out of her eyes again. "Half the f-f-family's in the Order, it'll b-b-be a miracle if we all come through this… and P-P-Percy's not talking to us… What if something d-d-dreadful happens and we had never m-m-made up? And what's going to happen if Arthur and I get killed, who's g-g-going to look after Ron and Ginny?"

"Molly, that's enough," said Lupin firmly. "This isn't like last time. The Order is better prepared, we've got a head start, we know what Voldemort's up to —"

Mrs. Weasley gave a little squeak of fright at the sound of the name.

"Oh, Molly, come on, it's about time you got used to hearing it — look, I can't promise no one's going to get hurt, nobody can promise that, but we're much better off than we were last time, you weren't in the Order then, you don't understand, last time we were outnumbered twenty to one by the Death Eaters and they were picking us off one by one…"

Alicia felt somewhat heart broken for Mrs Weasley and she couldn't help but release Harry and move over to the women. Mrs Weasley glanced at her as Alicia kneeled before her and pulled her into a hug. Of course she knew Mrs Weasley always had her best interests at heart and yet Alicia hadn't made it easy for the women by arguing and being so rude lately. But the fact that Mrs Weasley worried so much about her and Harry made her heart swell, and for her to have so much worry pent up inside while she cleaned and dealt with the Order and looked after everyone within the house…

Mrs Weasley was surprised by Alicia's sudden gesture and the girl rubbed the women's back but didn't say anything for a bit as Mrs Weasley hiccuped and sobbed a little in her arms.

"I'm sorry Mrs Weasley." Alicia said as she sat back "For being such a pain." she admitted "I guess I hadn't really thought about how you would be feeling amongst all this." she mumbled dropping her gaze slightly "Or anyone for that matter." she looked at Lupin. Mrs Weasley looked at her surprised, in fact Sirius was staring at her surprised also from behind her.

There was silence for a second as Lupin nodded to Alicia.

"I mean, we've all got people we care about, this isn't an easy thing for anyone really, when you think about it harder." she turned to Harry behind her and he dropped his gaze.

"Don't worry about Percy," said Sirius abruptly, catching Alicia's gaze. "He'll come round. It's a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology," he added bitterly.

"And as for who's going to look after Ron and Ginny if you and Arthur died," said Lupin, smiling slightly, "what do you think we'd do, let them starve?"

Mrs. Weasley smiled tremulously.

"Being silly," she muttered again, mopping her eyes.

Alicia frowned.

"It's not silliness." she whispered "Its called family." she believed "And even if you do think it's silly after what happened before, it's no surprise that even unconsciously everyone's worried." she placed a comforting hand on Mrs Weasley's shoulder "But it's also a reminder that we're not alone."

Alicia didn't know how she consoled Mrs Weasley, seeing the women's fears had only made her begin to think about everything herself. She and Harry had been jealous of a silly badge not an hour ago, yet it was such a trivial thing over what could really happen in the future.

Alicia sat on her bed within her room, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking at Moody's photo which she still had. Her parents waved up at her. None of the photo's occupants knew what was going to happen, who would leave them. And yet, they still were all celebrating and smiling happily, just like everyone in the Order now had just been doing. Alicia couldn't even comprehend if some of those faces left her, even in a years time.

The girl hugged her knees and tried to banish the horrid thoughts that now plagued her mind, biting her lip as her eyes pricked at the idea.

She knew she wasn't going to sleep well that night.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

Alicia hardly slept a wink that night and she was first up the next morning. Her trunk was repacked as she double checked everything and she carefully hulled it down the stairs quietly. Noel joined the trunk a moment later in the hall near the front door, but not obstructing it. Alicia then moved to the kitchen and made herself breakfast before the rest of the house began to get up.

Mrs Weasley was moving about in a tis, worried they would miss the train as she got everyone else up, Harry being the last to awake. Mad-Eye Moody rocked up with several other Order members and Alicia found out that she and Harry were being guarded on their way to the train in which she was a little annoyed at but didn't argue. Everyone was sure Voldemort would keep his cover so she doubted he would jump out at them on their way to the train in a packed Muggle street or train station.

Alicia helped Ginny bring her things down the stairs and was almost knocked down two flights of stairs with the girl when Fred and George decided to use magic to float their luggage down the stairs to try and save time. Ginny's tumbling and the hurtling of the trunks caused Mrs Black to wake up and start shouting as Mrs Weasley began to do the same.

"— COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS —"

"— _FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHER_ S —"

Hermione hurried up the stairs as Alicia helped Ginny to the kitchen were Mrs Weasley patched her up. Hermione was returning Hedwig to Harry who had returned with the girl's letter from her parents regarding the prefect badge.

Alicia stayed by her trunk and owl as Mad-Eye complained about missing Sturgis Podmore who was supposed to be joining their guard, the man being to paranoid to leave with one missing guard member. Alicia kept watching the clock as Mrs Weasley bustled around and more trunks were added to the landing while Mrs Black continued to shout, no one bothering to shut her up as Mrs Weasley shouted up and down the stairs and everyone was too busy thumping trunks and chatting, racing around for it to do any good. No one was capable of being quiet at this very moment.

"WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Mrs. Weasley suddenly bellowed, causing Alicia to jump as Hermione came running down the stairs with Crookshanks in her arms and Harry quickly followed with Hedwig in her caged, his trunk being dragged behind him. The twins had joined Alicia by the door and Ginny grabbed her own trunk as Ron followed suit.

"Harry, Alicia, you're both to come with me and Tonks," shouted Mrs. Weasley over the repeated screeches of " _MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT_ !" "Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage… Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"

A bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side as Harry clambered over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs. Weasley who was standing beside Alicia.

"Oh honestly…" said Mrs. Weasley despairingly, "well, on your own head be it!" Alicia and Harry shared a slightly worried look as Mrs Weasley wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight. Harry, Alicia and the dog followed her. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

"Where's Tonks?" Harry said as Alicia yawned, looking around as they went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment they reached the pavement.

"She's waiting for us just up here," said Mrs. Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry.

An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled grey hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a porkpie.

"Wotcher, Harry," she said, winking. "Better hurry up, hadn't we, Molly?" she added, checking her watch.

"I know, I know," moaned Mrs. Weasley, lengthening her stride, "but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis… If only Arthur could have got us cars from the Ministry again… but Fudge wouldn't let him borrow so much as an empty ink bottle these days… _How_ Muggles can stand traveling without magic…"

But the great black dog gave a joyful bark and gambolled around them, snapping at pigeons, and chasing its own tail. Both Alicia and Harry couldn't help laughing. Sirius had been trapped inside for a very long time. Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips in an almost Aunt Petunia-ish way.

"I don't blame him for being excited." Alicia said to Harry who agreed as the girl turned her head to the sun with a smile of her own.

It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross by foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for the twins' entertainment. Once inside the station they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families.

Alicia smiled at the gleaming red steam engine and the image of the castle entered her mind as it would be taking her straight to Hogwarts.

"I hope the others make it in time," said Mrs. Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.

"Nice dog, Harry!" called a tall boy with dreadlocks.

"Thanks, Lee," said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.

Alicia patted the dog before looking around at the people to see if she spotted anyone else she knew. As she looked over the faces however she noticed many people staring at her. She wasn't surprised but the fact that her strong attitude returned did. Yesterday she'd been dreading the attention and now she decided she didn't need to care.

"Oh good," said Mrs. Weasley, sounding relieved, "here's Alastor with the luggage, look…" Alicia was drawn from her thoughts and turned to see, with a porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody come limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks.

"All okay," he muttered to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed…"

Seconds later, Mr. Weasley emerged onto the platform with Ron and Hermione. They had almost unloaded Moody's luggage cart when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Lupin.

"No trouble?" growled Moody.

"Nothing," said Lupin.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Alicia and Harry last and gave Harry a clap on the shoulder. "You too, Harry. Be careful, Alicia."

"Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled," said Moody, shaking Harry's hand too and then Alicia's. "And don't forget, all of you — careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don't put it in a letter at all."

"It's been great meeting all of you," said Tonks, hugging Hermione and Ginny followed by Alicia. "We'll see you soon, I expect."

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.

"Quick, quick," said Mrs. Weasley distractedly, hugging them at random and catching Harry twice. "Write… Be good… If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on… Onto the train, now, hurry…"

For one brief moment, the great black dog reared onto its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders after Alicia had stooped down to give him a hug, but Mrs. Weasley shoved Harry away toward the train door hissing, "For heaven's sake act more like a dog, Sirius!"

Alicia pushed Hermione and Ginny onto the train as Ron, the twins and Harry followed her hastily, Mrs Weasley muttering for them to hurry up.

"See you!" Harry called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Alicia, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny waved beside him. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, and then they turned the corner, and Sirius was gone.

"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.

"Oh lighten up," said Ron, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."

"Plus nothing happened." Alicia nodded letting out a breath of relief.

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked Alicia, Ron and Hermione.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks as Alicia nodded before raising an eyebrow.

"Er," said Ron.

"We're — well — Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly. Alicia's eyes narrowed but she instantly removed the annoyed expression.

Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails on his left hand.

"Oh," said Harry. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."

"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather — but we have to — I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.

"I know you're not," said Harry and he grinned.

"Better hurry though," Alicia said and she grabbed her trunk, nodding her head she looked at Ginny who nodded and did the same. Alicia felt slightly weird, she and Harry had travelled together to Hogwarts every year with Ron. Even in their second year when they'd missed the train Ron had been with them. She felt a little sad for Harry for this.

"Come on," Ginny told Harry as he didn't move to follow, watching Hermione and Ron hall their trunks off towards the end of the train with Crookshanks and Pigwidheon. "if we get a move on we'll be able to save them places."

"Right," said Harry, picking up Hedwig's cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk in the other. Alicia gave him a somewhat reassuring look as he followed the two girls. The three of them struggled off down the corridor, peering through the glass-panelled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. Alicia tried very hard to ignore the looks that followed, not only Harry for once, but her also with great interest. Several of them nudged their neighbours and pointed the two of them out. It didn't surprise that people had being reading the Daily Prophet of which had been telling its readers all summer what a lying show-off Harry was. And although she hadn't been spoken about in the Prophet, Dumbledore had announced her as the missing Potter child to the entire school, something she was sure no one would soon forget, whether they believed it true or not.

In the very last carriage they met Neville Longbottom, the twins' fellow fifth-year Gryffindor, his round face shining with the effort of pulling his trunk along and maintaining a one-handed grip on his struggling toad, Trevor.

"Hi, Harry," he panted. "Hi, Alicia, Hi, Ginny… Everywhere's full… I can't find a seat…"

"What are you talking about?" said Ginny, who had squeezed past Neville to peer into the compartment behind him. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here —"

"Loony?" Alicia questioned looking at Ginny slightly appalled.

Neville mumbled something about not wanting to disturb anyone.

"Don't be silly," said Ginny, laughing, "she's all right."

She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside it. Alicia, Harry and Neville followed.

"Hi, Luna," said Ginny. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"

The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Alicia couldn't deny that the girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness, explaining Neville's reluctance. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over Neville and came to rest on Harry and Alicia. She nodded.

"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her. Harry and Neville stowed the four trunks and Noel and Hedwig's cage in the luggage rack and sat down. The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called _The Quibbler_. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. She stared and stared at Harry and Alicia, who had sat opposite her.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. _You're_ Harry Potter," she added.

"I know I am," said Harry.

Neville chuckled. Luna turned her pale eyes upon him instead.

"And I don't know who you are."

"I'm nobody," said Neville hurriedly.

"No you're not," said Ginny and Alicia sharply. "Neville Longbottom — Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."

" _Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_ ," said Luna in a singsong voice. "Is it true you're Alicia Potter, Harry's missing sister?" she said to Alicia.

"Yes." the raven haired girl answered simply. She braced herself to expect that question a lot at least in the beginning of the year.

Luna said nothing in return but simply raised her upside-down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent. Harry and Neville looked at each other with their eyebrows raised. Ginny suppressed a giggle as Alicia shrugged at her.

The train rattled onward, speeding them out into open country and Alicia had dug one of her new text books out of her trunk to read, having not been able to touch a single one yet. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.

"Another Remembrall?" said Harry, remembering the marblelike device Neville's grandmother had sent him in an effort to improve his abysmal memory. Alicia chuckled

"Let's not let this one get thrown through the air for Harry to catch this time." she said

"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago… No, look at this…"

He dug the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

" _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ ," he said proudly.

Harry stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of some diseased internal organ.

"It's really, really rare," said Neville, beaming. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

Neville's favourite subject was by far Herbology.

"Does it — er — do anything?" Harry asked as he looked at the plant with obvious confusion, not knowing what it really was or what it did.

"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism — hold Trevor for me…" Alicia was watching them, having averted her gaze from her textbook for the moment.

Neville dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his school bag. Luna Lovegood's popping eyes appeared over the top of her upside-down magazine again, watching what Neville was doing. Neville held the _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill.

Liquid squirted from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, dark green jets of it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine. Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, and Alicia had whipped her wand out with a Protego to stop herself from getting covered at all, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full. It smelled like rancid manure.

Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.

"S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before… Didn't realise it would be quite so… Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor.

At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.

"Oh… hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um… bad time?" Harry wiped the lenses of his glasses with his Trevor-free hand. A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at him: Cho Chang, the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

"Oh… hi," said Harry blankly.

"Hey Cho," Alicia smiled

"Hi Alicia," Cho replied, looking her over slightly "How was your holiday?"

"It was good…" Alicia said, realising that wasn't true halfway through the automatic reply "Yours?" she asked continuing

"Yeah." Cho nodded before she looked back at Harry. She paused on what to say next though.

"Um…" said Cho. "Well… just thought I'd say hello… 'bye then."

She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned. Alicia rolled her eyes and sighed

"Never mind," said Ginny bracingly. "Look, we can get rid of all this easily." She pulled out her wand. She paused

"Scourgify." Alicia prompted

"I know." Ginny rolled her eyes earning a grin from the girl. " _Scourgify_!"

The Stinksap vanished.

"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.

Ron and Hermione did not turn up for nearly an hour, by which time the food trolley had already gone by. Harry, Alicia, Ginny, and Neville had finished their Pumpkin Pasties and were busy swapping Chocolate Frog cards when the compartment door slid open and they walked in, accompanied by Crookshanks and a shrilly hooting Pigwidgeon in his cage.

"I'm starving," said Ron, stowing Pigwidgeon next to Hedwig and Noel, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the Frog's head, and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House," said Hermione, looking thoroughly disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, still with his eyes closed.

"Malfoy," replied Harry at once, his worst fear confirmed.

" 'Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll…"

"You'll probably find the heads of house have something to do with it." Alicia said "Snape would definitely pick those two." she sighed turning back to her book, she'd changed it for another since earlier.

"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott," said Ron thickly.

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione. She looked at Alicia who had looked up. Ginny sent Alicia a grin too and she turned her eyes back to her book.

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.

Everyone turned to look at Luna Lovegood, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of _The Quibbler._ He swallowed his mouthful of Frog.

"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."

She retreated behind _The Quibbler_ again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. Ron shook his head, bemused.

"Luna Lovegood." Alicia said simply "Ravenclaw." Ron looked back at the girl before he checked his watch.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told Harry and Neville, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something…"

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply.

"They should have thought about that before giving it to him then." Alicia shrugged

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.

"So you're going to descend to his level?"

"No, I'm just going to make sure I get his mates before he gets mine."

"For heaven's sake, Ron —"

"You realise that that could end up with me and Harry in unspeakable trouble from Malfoy in return." Alicia said as she turned a page. Ron didn't listen.

"I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing," said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle's low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair. " _I… must… not… look… like… a… baboon's… backside…"_

Everyone laughed, but nobody laughed harder than Luna Lovegood. She let out a scream of mirth that caused Hedwig to wake up and flap her wings indignantly and Crookshanks to leap up into the luggage rack, hissing. She laughed so hard that her magazine slipped out of her grasp, slid down her legs, and onto the floor.

"That was _funny_!"

Her prominent eyes swam with tears as she gasped for breath, staring at Ron. Utterly nonplussed, he looked around at the others, who were now laughing at the expression on Ron's face and at the ludicrously prolonged laughter of Luna Lovegood, who was rocking backward and forward, clutching her sides.

"Are you taking the mickey?" said Ron, frowning at her.

"Baboon's… backside!" she choked, holding her ribs.

Everyone else was watching Luna laughing, but Alicia had reached for the magazine Luna had dropped, her movement grabbed Harry's attention and the two looked at the page in which the front had caught both of their attentions. Upside down it had been hard to tell what the picture on the front was, but it was now recognisable as a fairly bad cartoon of Cornelius Fudge; the lime-green bowler hat giving him away. One of Fudge's hands was clenched around a bag of gold; the other hand was throttling a goblin. The cartoon was captioned: How Far Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?

Beneath this were listed the titles of other articles inside the magazine.

CORRUPTION IN THE QUIDDITCH LEAGUE: How the Tornados Are Taking Control

SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT RUNES REVEALED SIRIUS BLACK: Villain or Victim?

Harry and Alicia shared a look.

"Luna, may we read your magazine?" Alicia asked as Harry said "Can I have a look at this?" Harry eagerly. She nodded, still gazing at Ron, breathless with laughter.

The two opened the magazine and scanned the index. Alicia remembered this to be the magazine Kingsley had handed Mr. Weasley to give to Sirius, of which it must have been this edition of The Quibbler. They found the page and turned excitedly to the article.

This too was illustrated by a rather bad cartoon; in fact, Harry would not have known it was supposed to be Sirius if it hadn't been captioned. Sirius was standing on a pile of human bones with his wand out. The headline on the article read:

 _SIRIUS - Black As He's Painted?_  
 _Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?_

Alicia already started chuckling as Harry read the sentence several times. Harry nudged her and she managed to stop to read the article itself.

 _For fourteen years Sirius Black has been believed guilty of the mass murder of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard. Black's audacious escape from Azkaban two years ago has led to the widest man-hunt ever conducted by the Ministry of Magic. None of us has ever questioned that he deserves to be recaptured and handed back to the dementors._

 _BUT DOES HE?_

 _Startling new evidence has recently come to light that Sirius Black may not have committed the crimes for which he was sent to Azkaban. In fact, says Doris Purkiss, of 18 Acanthia Way, Little Norton, Black may not even have been present at the killings._

 _"What people don't realise is that Sirius Black is a false name," says Mrs. Purkiss. "The man people believe to be Sirius Black is actually Stubby Boardman, lead singer of the popular singing group The Hobgoblins, who retired from public life after being struck in the ear by a turnip at a concert in Little Norton Church Hall nearly fifteen years ago. I recognised him the moment I saw his picture in the paper. Now, Stubby couldn't possibly have committed those crimes, because on the day in question he happened to be enjoying a romantic candlelit dinner with me. I have written to the Minister of Magic and am expecting him to give Stubby, alias Sirius, a full pardon any day now."_

Alicia snorted as she tried not to laugh covering her mouth as Harry looked at her in disbelief. He took her side of the magazine and slipped back a few pages to the piece on Fudge. Alicia leaned over his shoulder to read this article as well.

 _Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, when he was elected Minister of Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to "cooperate peacefully" with the guardians of our gold._

 _BUT DOES HE?_

 _Sources close to the Minister have recently disclosed that Fudge's dearest ambition is to seize control of the goblin gold supplies and that he will not hesitate to use force if need be._

 _"It wouldn't be the first time, either," said a Ministry insider. "Cornelius 'Goblin-Crusher' Fudge, that's what his friends call him, if you could hear him when he thinks no one's listening, oh, he's always talking about the goblins he's had done in; he's had them drowned, he's had them dropped off buildings, he's had them poisoned, he's had them cooked in pies…"_

Alicia didn't laugh at this one but simply rose an eyebrow and looked at Harry. They flicked through the rest of the magazine. Pausing every few pages to read an accusation that the Tutshill Tornados were winning the Quidditch League by a combination of blackmail, illegal broom-tampering, and torture; an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of moon frogs to prove it; and an article on ancient runes, which at least explained why Luna had been reading _The Quibbler_ upside down. According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads they revealed a spell to make your enemy's ears turn into kumquats. In fact, compared to the rest of the articles in The Quibbler, the suggestion that Sirius might really be the lead singer of The Hob-goblins was quite sensible.

"Anything good in there?" asked Ron as Harry closed the magazine.

"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly, before Harry could answer, " _The Quibbler's_ rubbish, everyone knows that."

"Excuse me," said Luna; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. "My father's the editor."

"I — oh," said Hermione, looking embarrassed. "Well… it's got some interesting… I mean, it's quite…"

"I'll have it back, thank you," said Luna coldly, and leaning forward she snatched it out of Harry's hands. Rifling through it to page fifty-seven, she turned it resolutely upside down again and disappeared behind it, just as the compartment door opened for the third time.

Alicia gave Hermione a disapproving look before they turned to the doorway. Every train trip to Hogwarts consisted of one annoying tradition; Malfoy and his cronies Grabbe and Goyle would appear at the door of what ever compartment Harry, Alicia, Hermione and Ron were in.

"What?" Harry said aggressively, before Malfoy could open his mouth.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy, whose sleek blond hair and pointed chin were just like his father's. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville laughed. Malfoy's lip curled.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Malfoy, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be _dogging_ your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.

"Hermione you're depriving Malfoy of his Harry time, after all the git does come and find Harry every train ride, he clearly has some unhealthy obsession." everyone in the train cart snickered again and Malfoy looked at her angrily. Alicia simply twirled her wand between her fingers. "Shall we also continue the tradition were I hex you, I'd love to see you give me a detention with your nose stabbed into the carpet."

Malfoy gave Alicia and Harry a last malicious look and departed angrily, Crabbe and Goyle lumbering in his wake. Hermione slammed the compartment door behind them and turned to look at Harry and Alicia, who's taunting smile was gone. All three of them had registered what Malfoy had said and been just as unnerved by it.

"Chuck us another Frog," said Ron, who had clearly noticed nothing.

Despite what the three picked up on, they could not talk freely in front of Neville and Luna. The twins exchanged another nervous look with Hermione and then Harry stared out of the window while Alicia turned to her book.

Sirius coming with them to the station had been a bit of a laugh, but suddenly it seemed reckless, if not downright dangerous… Hermione had been right… Sirius should not have come. What if Mr. Malfoy had noticed the black dog and told Draco, what if he had deduced that the Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks, and Moody knew where Sirius was hiding? Almost more than ever Alicia wanted to shoot the boy a hex just on principle.

The weather remained undecided as they traveled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a halfhearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up _The Quibbler_ , put it carefully away in her bag, and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead.

"We'd better change," said Hermione at last, as usual, prompting Alicia to put her book away. Hermione and Ron pinned their prefect badges carefully to their chests and Ron checked his in the black window.

At last the train began to slow down and they heard the usual racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready for departure. Ron and Hermione were supposed to supervise all this; they disappeared from the carriage again, leaving Harry and the others to look after Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon.

"I'll carry that owl, if you like," said Luna to Harry, reaching out for Pigwidgeon as Neville stowed Trevor carefully in an inside pocket.

"Oh — er — thanks," said Harry, handing her the cage and hoisting Hedwig's more securely into his arms. Ginny took Noel for Alicia as she grabbed Croockshanks for Hermione from his personally acquired seat by the door.

They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly they moved toward the doors. The smell of the pine trees along the lake reached Alicia's nose and she turned next searching for the familiar call of "Firs' years over here… firs' years…"

But it did not come. Instead a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling, "First years line up over here, please! All first years to me!" The twins shared a look confused as a lantern came swinging toward Alicia and Harry and by its light they saw the prominent chin and severe haircut of Professor Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.

"Where's Hagrid?" he said out loud.

"I don't know," said Ginny, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."

"Oh yeah…"

"He mustn't be back yet." Alicia thought frowning. She didn't know how long it took for Giants to become friendly or accept an alliance… or what ever it was Dumbledore was asking for.

"From where?" Harry asked but Alicia simply grabbed his hand to prevent their separation as they moved off the platform and through the station. She concentrated on getting them to the carriages as Harry's attention was elsewhere. Hermione and Ron were no where to be seen and so Alicia simply pulled on Harry's hand and allowed the crowd to shunt them forwards and onto the dark brainwashed road outside Hogsmeade Station.

"Alicia!" the girl turned at her name curiously, not noticing Harry's hand slip from her's before she spotted a mass of red hair next to dark hair.

"Michael." she smiled as he and Ginny came through the crowd.

"Anthony was looking for you." he admitted

"Oh… I guess he's busy being a prefect at the moment isn't he…" Alicia muttered looking around

"Heard Ron and Hermione got them too." Michael confessed as Terry Boot, Michael's fellow Ravenclaw appeared.

"Not surprised Granger got it." Terry said

"Where's Harry?" Ginny suddenly asked and the girl turned surprised

"Um…" she began and Ginny sighed

"You lost him."

"You distracted me." Alicia complained as she looked around.

"Terry!"

"Anthony, done already?" Terry asked as the blond, blue eyed boy emerged as they had begun to move outside of Hogsmeade Station.

"Yeah." Anthony nodded as he turned to see Alicia looking over the heads of everyone for Harry's unruly hair. "Hi Alicia,"

"Hey." she smiled at him "How was your holiday in Germany?"

"It was good," Anthony nodded "German wizards are rather interesting and they've got quite a few historical monuments." he confessed

"Awesome." Alicia nodded

"What about you?"

"Well, could've been better, but considering everything." Alicia nodded as Ginny glanced at her.

"Why what happened?" Michael asked and Alicia looked at Ginny unsure on what she could say. They exited the station and Alicia was distracted from answering by the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle. Alicia however stared surprised. The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts. They were not exactly horses but for another name Alicia could not think of. These animals had something reptilian about them. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither — vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister.

"Woah…" she mumbled as she looked at the creatures, understanding flooding her expression as she recognised the creature from a book.

"Alicia, we need to find Hermione, give her Crookshanks." Ginny said to the girl, distracting the boys from their discussion of their holidays.

"Yeah right." Alicia nodded

"We'll see you later." Ginny said to Michael and Alicia waved to Anthony before taking Ginny's hand. They looked around for the familiar faces before Alicia jumped and managed to make out Ron's tall figure beside Harry's unruly black hair and Hermione's bushy brown.

"Found them." Alicia said as she pulled Ginny along.

"Hey," Alicia said as the girls reached them

"What happened to you?" Harry asked

"Busy crowd, but I found Ginny so don't worry." Alicia assured "Here Hermione." and she handed the girl the ginger cat in her arms.

"Thanks," said Hermione again as Alicia thanked Ginny and took Noel's cage from her. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up…"

"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but Hermione was already heading off toward the nearest unoccupied coach.

"Hermione! You need to be a little more aware of your friends around you." Alicia said following her as Ron and Harry stayed behind, hoping Luna would appear with Pig.

Alicia handed Noel in to the carriage Hermione had chosen, Ginny following the girl and climbing in. Alicia turned to the boys to see Luna and Pig now joining them as they made their way over to them.

"What horse things?" Alicia heard Ron say as they reached her

"The horse things pulling the carriages!" said Harry impatiently; they were, after all, about three feet from the nearest one; it was watching them with empty white eyes. Ron, however, gave Harry a perplexed look.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about — look!"

Harry grabbed Ron's arm and wheeled him about so that he was face-to-face with the winged horse. Ron stared straight at it for a second, then looked back at Harry.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"At the — there, between the shafts! Harnessed to the coach! It's right there in front —"

But as Ron continued to look bemused, a strange thought occurred to Harry.

"Can't… can't you see them?"

"See _what_?"

"Can't you see what's pulling the carriages?" Alicia rolled her eyes at her brother .

"Harry, Ron can't see them." Alicia confessed and Harry looked at her "You know if wouldn't kill you to pick up a book now and then." she admitted and Harry looked confused as Alicia climbed into the carriage with the two girls.

Ron however was looking seriously alarmed now.

"Are you feeling all right, Harry?"

"I… yeah…"

"Come on boys." Alicia called impatiently.

"Shall we get in, then?" said Ron uncertainly, looking at Harry as though worried about him.

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, go on…"

"It's all right," said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach's dark interior. "You're not going mad or anything. I can see them too."

"Can you?" said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide, silvery eyes.

"Oh yes," said Luna, "I've been able to see them ever since my first day here. They've always pulled the carriages. Don't worry. You're just as sane as I am."

Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her.

"Don't worry, I see them." Alicia said as Harry sat opposite her

"Really?"

"Sure." Alicia nodded and she left it at that, causing Harry to just nod, earning a confused look from Ron who then turned back to Hermione.

Alicia then turned for the window and watched, waiting for the magnificent castle to come into her view.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

"Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman?" asked Ginny as Harry slammed the carriage door closed and it began to move on. "What's she doing back here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?"

"I'll be quite glad if he has," said Luna. "He isn't a very good teacher, is he?"

"Yes, he is!" said Harry, Ron, and Ginny angrily.

Harry glared at Hermione; she cleared her throat and quickly said, "Erm… yes… he's very good." as Ron nudged Alicia.

"Hagrid's a great person and teaching is a learning curve. He's getting there and I believe he has the potential to be one of the best. He just had a confidence scare and it's taking him a while." she shrugged and everyone looked at her, Harry, Ron and Ginny with shock and annoyance. "What? You know I love Hagrid but his choice in magical creatures is not what everyone expects and you can't deny that." she said and Harry, Ginny and Ron all shared a glance.

"Well, we think he's a bit of a joke in Ravenclaw," said Luna, unfazed.

"You've got a rubbish sense of humour then," Ron snapped, as the wheels below them creaked into motion.

Luna did not seem perturbed by Ron's rudeness; on the contrary, she simply watched him for a while as though he were a mildly interesting television program.

Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. When they passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, Harry leaned forward to try and see whether there were any lights on in Hagrid's cabin by the Forbidden Forest, but the grounds were in complete darkness. Hogwarts Castle, however, loomed ever closer: a towering mass of turrets, jet-black against the dark sky, here and there a window blazing fiery bright above them.

The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors and Harry got out of the carriage first. Alicia followed and she glanced at the skeleton horses as Harry did. She was surprised by the creatures at first but her love of reading and knowledge meant she'd read about such things. The animals were Thestrals, something she had read about in a magic creatures book shortly after picking to do the subject in her third year, and unfortunately, they were creatures that could only been seen by someone who had watched another die. The girl frowned as she remembered Cedric and then looked at Luna with slight pity also. After all, she must have known someone who died if she could see them too…

Alicia smiled at Ginny who stepped out of the carriage beside her and she moved with her, Hermione, Ron and Luna up the steps, while Harrys stayed staring at the Thestrals.

"Are you coming or what?" said Ron beside him.

"Oh… yeah," said Harry quickly, and they joined the crowd hurrying up the stone steps into the castle.

The entrance hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with foot-steps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast.

The four long House tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly to one another, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other Houses, eyeing one another's new haircuts and robes. Alicia kept her chin high as people stared at her and Harry, pointing, whispering and muttering to their neighbours. Harry grit his teeth from behind her, trying to pretend he too didn't care.

Luna drifted away from them at the Ravenclaw table. The moment they reached Gryffindor's, Ginny was hailed by some fellow fourth years and left to sit with them; Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, and Neville found seats together about halfway down the table between Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor House ghost, and Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the last two of whom gave Harry airy, overly friendly greetings that made him quite sure they had stopped talking about him a split second before. Alicia turned for the staff table and noticed Hagrid was not sitting up there either and conducted she had been correct in him still being off looking for Giants on Dumbledore's request.

"He's not there." Harry said, having been doing the same as her.

Ron and Hermione scanned the staff table too, though there was no real need; Hagrid's size made him instantly obvious in any lineup.

"He can't have left," said Ron, sounding slightly anxious.

"Of course he hasn't," said Harry firmly.

"You don't think he's… _hurt_ , or anything, do you?" said Hermione uneasily.

"No," said Harry at once.

"But where is he, then?"

There was a pause, then Harry said very quietly, so that Neville, Parvati, and Lavender could not hear, "Maybe he's not back yet. You know — from his mission — the thing he was doing over the summer for Dumbledore."

"That's my thoughts." Alicia nodded

"Yeah… yeah, that'll be it," said Ron, sounding reassured, but Hermione bit her lip, looking up and down the staff table as though hoping for some conclusive explanation of Hagrid's absence.

"Who's _that_?" she said sharply, pointing toward the middle of the staff table.

Alicia, Ron and Harry's eyes followed her's. They lit first upon Professor Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed golden chair at the centre of the long staff table, wearing deep-purple robes scattered with silvery stars and a matching hat. Dumbledore's head was inclined toward the woman sitting next to him, who was talking into his ear. She looked, like somebody's maiden aunt: squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes. Then she turned her face slightly to take a sip from her goblet to show a pallid, toadlike face and a pair of prominent, pouchy eyes.

"It's that Umbridge woman!" Harry noticed

"Who?" said Hermione.

"Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic." Alicia said remembering and turning to Harry "What the hell's she doing here?" she demanded and Harry shrugged before turning back to Hermione.

"She was at my hearing, she works for Fudge!"

"Nice cardigan," said Ron, smirking.

"She works for Fudge?" Hermione repeated, frowning. "What on earth's she doing here, then?" she mirrored Alicia's question

"Dunno…"

Hermione scanned the staff table, her eyes narrowed.

"No," she muttered, "no, surely not…"

Alicia looked confused before she also turned to the table. Her eyes went over the usual teachers, Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall's empty seat, Snape, Grubbly-Plank's empty seat which was usually Hagrid's, Flitwick, Burbage, Trelawney, Sprout, Pomfrey, Binns, Hooch, Pince, Sinistra and Vector. All the usual teachers were there, plus Umbridge. Alicia's heart sank and she understood what Hermione was muttering about.

"No…" she said to Hermione and the girl shared her look before they turned back to the table.

Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared from behind the staff table and moved along it to take her seat, having crossed the lake and left the first years with Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress. A second later the entrance doors did in fact open and a long line of scared-looking first years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard's hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.

The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.

The first years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling.

The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:

In times of old when I was new

And Hogwarts barely started

The founders of our noble school

Thought never to be parted:

United by a common goal,

They had the selfsame yearning,

To make the world's best magic school

And pass along their learning.

"Together we will build and teach!"

The four good friends decided

And never did they dream that they

Might someday be divided,

For were there such friends anywhere

As Slytherin and Gryffndor?

Unless it was the second pair

Of Huffepuff and Ravenclaw?

So how could it have gone so wrong?

How could such friendships fail?

Why, I was there and so can tell

The whole sad, sorry tale.

Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those

Whose ancestry is purest."

Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose

Intelligence is surest."

Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those

With brave deeds to their name,"

Said Hufflepujf, "I'll teach the lot,

And treat them just the same."

These differences caused little strife

When first they came to light,  
For each of the four founders had

A House in which they might

Take only those they wanted, so,

For instance, Slytherin

Took only pure-blood wizards

Of great cunning, just like him,

And only those of sharpest mind

Were taught by Ravenclaw

While the bravest and the boldest

Went to daring Gryffindor.

Good Hufflepujf she took the rest,

And taught them all she knew,

Thus the Houses and their founders

Retained friendships firm and true.

So Hogwarts worked in harmony

For several happy years,

But then discord crept among us

Feeding on our faults and fears.

The Houses that, like pillars four,

Had once held up our school,

Now turned upon each other and,

Divided, sought to rule.

And for a while it seemed the school

Must meet an early end,

What with duelling and with fighting

And the clash of friend on friend

And at last there came a morning

When old Slytherin departed

And though the fighting then died out

He left us quite downhearted.

And never since the founders four

Were whittled down to three

Have the Houses been united

As they once were meant to be.

And now the Sorting Hat is here

And you all know the score:

I sort you into Houses

Because that is what I'm for,

But this year I'll go further,

Listen closely to my song:

Though condemned I am to split you

Still I worry that it's wrong,

Though I must fulfil my duty

And must quarter every year

Still I wonder whether sorting

May not bring the end I fear.

Oh, know the perils, read the signs,

The warning history shows,

For our Hogwarts is in danger

From external, deadly foes

And we must unite inside her

Or we'll crumble from within.

I have told you, I have warned you…

Let the Sorting now begin.

The hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in memory, with muttering and whispers. Alicia clapped slowly, surprised slightly as all across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbours and Harry, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about.

"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised.

"Too right it has," said Harry.

The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts Houses and its own role in sorting them; Harry could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.

"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" said Hermione, sounding slightly anxious.

"Yes, indeed," said Nearly Headless Nick knowledgeably, leaning across Neville toward her (Neville winced, it was very uncomfortable to have a ghost lean through you). "The hat feels itself honour-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels —"

But Professor McGonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches. Nearly Headless Nick placed a see-through finger to his lips and sat primly upright again as the muttering came to an abrupt end. Alicia and Hermione shared a look before turning to the front again. With a last frowning look that swept the four House tables, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out,

"Abercrombie, Euan."  
The terrified-looking boy stumbled forward and put the hat on his head; it was only prevented from falling right down to his shoulders by his very prominent ears. The hat considered for a moment, then the rip near the brim opened again and shouted, " _GRYFFINDOR_!"

Alicia and Harry clapped loudly with the rest of Gryffindor House as Euan Abercrombie staggered to their table and sat down, looking as though he would like very much to sink through the floor and never be looked at again.

Slowly the long line of first years thinned; in the pauses between the names and the Sorting Hat's decisions, Harry could hear Ron's stomach rumbling loudly. Finally, "Zeller, Rose" was sorted into Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall picked up the hat and stool and marched them away as Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands — welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate — for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread, sauces, and flagons of pumpkin juice.

"Excellent," said Ron, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them onto his plate, watched wistfully by Nearly Headless Nick.

"And so beings the long year of Ron trying to beat the record of food consumption in one go." Alicia said earning chuckles from around her as Ron looked annoyed. She simply shrugged and began to load up her own plate.

"What were you saying before the Sorting?" Hermione asked the ghost. "About the hat giving warnings?"

"Oh yes," said Nick, who seemed glad of a reason to turn away from Ron, who was now eating roast potatoes with almost indecent enthusiasm. "Yes, I have heard the hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: Stand together, be strong from within."

"Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?" said Ron.

His mouth was so full Harry thought it was quite an achievement for him to make any noise at all.

"I beg your pardon?" said Nearly Headless Nick politely, while Hermione looked revolted.

"Ron!" Alicia scolded angrily as Ron gave an enormous swallow and said, "How can it know if the school's in danger if it's a hat?"

"I have no idea," said Nearly Headless Nick. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I daresay it picks things up there."

"And it wants all the Houses to be friends?" said Harry, looking over at the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was holding court. "Fat chance."

"Well, now, you shouldn't take that attitude," said Nick reprovingly. "Peaceful cooperation, that's the key. We ghosts, though we belong to separate Houses, maintain links of friendship. In spite of the competitiveness between Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would never dream of seeking an argument with the Bloody Baron."

"Only because you're terrified of him," said Ron.

Nearly Headless Nick looked highly affronted.

"Terrified? I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs in my veins —"

"What blood?" asked Ron. "Surely you haven't still got — ?"

"It's a figure of speech!" said Nearly Headless Nick, now so annoyed his head was trembling ominously on his partially severed neck. "I assume I am still allowed to enjoy the use of whichever words I like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied me! But I am quite used to students poking fun at my death, I assure you!"

"Nick, he wasn't really laughing at you!" said Hermione, throwing a furious look at Ron.

"No he's just thoughtless and doesn't think before he speaks." Alicia said snapping at Ron. Unfortunately, Ron's mouth was packed to exploding point again and all he could manage was "node iddum eentup sechew," which Nick did not seem to think constituted an adequate apology. Rising into the air, he straightened his feathered hat and swept away from them to the other end of the table, coming to rest between the Creevey brothers, Colin and Dennis.

"Well done, Ron," snapped Hermione.

"What?" said Ron indignantly, having managed, finally, to swallow his food. "I'm not allowed to ask a simple question?"

"Oh forget it," said Hermione irritably, and the pair of them spent the rest of the meal in huffy silence.

"You have no sympathy." Alicia said simply with a sigh. Harry and Alicia were used to Ron and Hermione's bickering and didn't bother to reconcile it. Instead both turned to their plates to continue eating before the food all disappeared from the tables as it always did, to be replaced by the desserts of which then did the same.

When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the hall was starting to creep upward again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the headmaster.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students — and a few of our older students ought to know by now too." (Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione exchanged smirks.)

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door." Alicia scoffed and Harry smirked at her. She was one of the students who would always be using magic in the halls and everyone knew that no one went to Filch's office unless forced.

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause during which Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione exchanged slightly panicked looks; Dumbledore had not said for how long Grubbly-Plank would be teaching.

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the —"

He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, " _Hem, hem_ ," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat back down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair, and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Alicia's eyes narrowed as the women spoke and already she did not like her.

Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish and again, she gave another little throat- clearing cough (" _Hem, hem_ ") and continued: "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

Both twins glanced around. None of the faces they could see looked happy; on the contrary, they all looked rather taken aback at being addressed as though they were five years old. The two shared a look before turning back to her both looking annoyed by the sudden speech.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!"

Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.

"I'll be her friend as long as I don't have to borrow that cardigan," Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.

Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again (" _Hem, hem_ "), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, and she exchanged a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little " _Hem, hem_ " and went on with her speech.

"Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…" the students began to pay less attention to the women across the hall but Alicia and Hermione both had their eyes on her, Hermione drinking up the speech and Alicia staring her down.

"…because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now — as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…"

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," said Hermione in a low voice.

"I cannot believe this." Alicia said shaking her head irritatedly

"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face upon Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."

"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," said Hermione. "It explained a lot."

"Did it?" said Harry in surprise. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."

"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," said Hermione grimly.

"At least there was if you were listening." Alicia agreed agitatedly.

"Was there?" said Ron blankly.

"How about 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? How about 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'?"

"Well, what does that mean?" said Ron impatiently.

"I'll tell you what it means," said Hermione ominously. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."

"'Pruning whatever find practices that ought to be prohibited'…" Alicia said "She's not really going to try and get rid of some classes is she?" she asked Hermione and the bushy haired girl shrugged as the boys looked surprised.

There was a great clattering and banging all around them; Dumbledore had obviously just dismissed the school, because everyone was standing up ready to leave the Hall. Hermione jumped up, looking flustered.

"Ron, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!"

"Oh yeah," said Ron, who had obviously forgotten. "Hey — hey you lot! Midgets!"

" _Ron_!" Alicia couldn't help but burst out laughing at this as she and Harry got to their feet also.

"Well, they are, they're titchy.…"

"I know, but you can't call them midgets… First years!" Hermione called commandingly along the table. "This way, please!"

A group of new students walked shyly up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, all of them trying hard not to lead the group. They did indeed seem very small and Harry watched them as he and Alicia walked with everyone else.

"Makes you think, how small were we when we arrived?" she grinned

"Not that small." Harry believed

"Wanna bet?" she offered smugly.

A blond boy next to Euan Abercrombie looked petrified, nudged Euan, and whispered something in his ear. Euan Abercrombie looked equally frightened and stole a horrified look at Harry, who felt the grin slide off his face like Stinksap.

Alicia sighed. That didn't last long at all. She and Harry shared a look and silently agreed with one another before they turned to Ron and Hermione.

"See you later," Harry said before they made their way out of the Great Hall. Alicia and Harry both ignored everyone who watched them, whispering and pointing. Harry kept his eyes fixed ahead as they wove their way through the crowd in the entrance hall, then hurried up the marble staircase, took a couple of concealed shortcuts, and had soon left most of the crowds behind.

Alicia ran her hands through her black hair annoyed as Harry looked frustrated with himself. They walked in silence as Alicia remember the last time they'd been here. She and Harry had emerged from the maze, Alicia of which shouldn't of even been there, clutching Cedric Digger's dead body and Alicia sobbing her eyes out as Harry calmed Lord Voldemort's return. Then on top of that Dumbledore announced Alicia's true identity to everyone.

"Harry, we've done this before." Alicia said and Harry turned to her "Our first year was just as bad. And our second everyone blamed us for the petrifies as well." she said

"This time is different." Harry mumbled

"Not if you pretend it's not." Alicia sighed as they reached the end of the corridor to the Gryffindor common room and stopped. Alicia sighed. Hermione and Ron hadn't given them the new password yet.

"Er…" Harry said glumly, staring up at the Fat Lady, who smoothed the folds of her pink satin dress and looked sternly back at him.

"No password, no entrance," she said loftily.

"We forgot to ask about it." Alicia muttered annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Harry, I know it!" someone panted from behind, and the twins turned to see Neville jogging toward them. "Guess what it is? I'm actually going to be able to remember it for once —" He waved the stunted little cactus he had shown them on the train. " _Mimbulus mimbletonia_!"

"Correct," said the Fat Lady, and her portrait swung open toward them like a door, revealing a circular hole in the wall behind, through which Harry, Alicia and Neville now climbed.

"Thanks Neville." Alicia smiled and he grinned at her in response.

The Gryffindor common room looked as welcoming as ever, a cozy circular tower room full of dilapidated squashy armchairs and rickety old tables. A fire was crackling merrily in the grate and a few people were warming their hands before going up to their dormitories; on the other side of the room Fred and George Weasley were pinning something up on the notice board. Alicia assumed it was some sort advertisement for their snack boxes. Harry waved good night to them and headed straight for the door to the boys' dormitories, Alicia could tell he just wanted away from everyone and was not in much of a mood for talking at the moment. Neville followed him.

Alicia glanced around the common room and noticed everyone was staring at her. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and a few turned away before she crossed the room and climbed the stairs two at a time to escape before people approached and questioned her.

The dormitory was empty when she got there, thankfully and Alicia moved to her trunk to start removing a few things and stationing them around her four poster bed. She was puling her pyjamas on when Parvati and Lavender walked in. The two were giggling with one another, a common occurrence before they stopped when they saw her. She didn't pause and continued on with the task and buttoning up her shirt.

They were silent for a bit and Alicia did her best not to meet the two's gaze but she knew they hadn't moved and the slight shuffling and muttering gave her the impression they were trying to figure out what to say.

Alicia went first, tired of their stares.

"Have a good summer?" she asked them and the two paused

"Yeah…" Parvati answered "My sister got her prefect badge."

"I heard." Alicia nodded turning to smile at them. She noticed Lavender staring at her and glance at Parvati. "Lavender?" she wondered

"Wasn't bad." she said. Alicia nodded before turning from them and rolling her eyes when she had her back to them. She climbed into her bed and still both of them hadn't moved. Alicia rose an eyebrow.

"You going to stand there all night?" she said, her pleasant tone gone now. They two shared another glance before they both moved to their beds. Parvati however paused.

"Alicia?" she watched her "Is it true?" the girl rose an eyebrow to indicate for her to be more specific. "About you and Harry I mean?" Lavender had stopped

"Yes." Alicia answered

"But the _Prophe_ t—" Lavender began

"You really going to believe what people write in the Daily Prophet? You realise that the best stories are either fake or ruin people's lives right? They sell the best." Alicia cut her off "It's not my problem if you decide not to believe me." she said as the door opened and Hermione walked in.

"Those first years are lively." she decided "Still a little frightened." she added as she moved to her bed "And Fred and George are putting up these." she moved to Alicia and handed her a flyer.

 _GALLONS OF GALLEONS!_

 _Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings? Like to earn a little extra gold?_

 _Contact Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor common room, for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs_  
 _(WE REGRET THAT ALL WORK IS UNDERTAKEN AT APPLICANT'S OWN RISK)_

Alicia rose an eyebrow as she read it. They were going to get volunteers to help with their snack box testing?

"What do they need volunteers for?" Hermione demanded

"Dunno." Alicia lied, putting the flyer on her bedside table and turned to lie down without an answer. Hermione looked at her a minute longer before she moved to her bed.

"Well I'm not allowing it, after all as a prefect it's our job to keep an eye on them and keep everyone else comfortable." she decided

"Good luck." Alicia said simply before she said nothing more. Hermione decided not to continue as well, probably hearing Alicia's tone and realising she wanted nothing more than to sleep. Especially as she was going to need the energy to keep herself sane and try and withhold her anger, something she'd never been overly good at.

Lavender it seemed didn't hear that.

"Hermione," she began "What's Harry's game?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's he doing trying to cause all that trouble?" Lavender questioned and Alicia turned to her looking angry

"Causing trouble?" Hermione questioned, her voice stern

"And Alicia, being the lost Potter—" she said pointing at her

"What a surprise you think he's lying." Alicia snapped "Why the hell would someone want to lie about such a topic? Voldemort being back is not something we want, you know." and the three flinched at the name.

"Lavender shut your mouth." Hermione decided when the girl opened her mouth to reply and Lavender looked surprised "You have no right to say or doubt Harry. And shut up about Alicia, how do you know if they're not related?" Alicia was just staring at Lavender.

"You think we want this kind of attention? To be pointed at and muttered about everywhere we go? You think we want the person who murdered our parents back? You think we wanted to see something like that? You think we wanted to see Cedric die? Are you mad?" Alicia snapped and Hermione looked at her "For god's sake what is wrong with people? Who would want this kind to shit?"

"Well the _Prophet_ says—"

"Do you not know how to think for yourself?" Alicia cut her off again getting angry "How stupid can you get?" and Lavender looked angry herself while Alicia stared at her, daring her to say more.

The girl decided not to and she turned to her bed and after pulling on her pyjamas, pulled her curtains closed. Alicia glanced at Hermione before she did the same and laid back down again, not wanting to talk about it.

She expected this, after all, this is what Fudge wanted. More importantly it was probably what Voldemort wanted as well. How typical everyone was able to fall in to do his will without even knowing or believing he was back.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Alicia and Hermione left the dormitory together the next morning and met Harry and Ron in the common room. Alicia had completely ignored Lavender who'd scowled at the girl as she passed her bed and left the dormitory, Hermione following.

It wasn't hard to tell something had happened since the girls had last seen the two boys for Harry was looking rather grim and as angry as Alicia felt.

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione the two "You look absolutely — oh for heaven's sake." She was staring at the common room notice board, where a large new sign had been put up. It was another of Fred and George's notices and Hermione walked over to it.

"They are the limit," said Hermione grimly after having read the poster again, taking down the sign, which Fred and George had pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend in October. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."

Ron looked positively alarmed.  
"Why?"

"Because we're prefects!" said Hermione, as they climbed out through the portrait hole. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!" Ron said nothing but was looking rather glum at the prospect of stopping Fred and George doing exactly what they liked, which wasn't something that he found inviting.

"Why don't you just tell the Head Boy and Girl. After all the twins might actually listen to them." Alicia offered and Ron began to nod

"Yeah they won't listen to me anyway."

"They have to." Hermione believed

"Hermione they've had more points docked and been given more detention than anyone other than Sirius and our dad." Alicia disagreed "Your little threats wont do anything."

"We'll see." Hermione decided strongly. "Anyway, what's up, Harry?" Hermione continued, as they walked down a flight of stairs lined with portraits of old witches and wizards, all of whom ignored them, being engrossed in their own conversation. "You look really angry about something."

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," said Ron succinctly, when Harry did not respond. Alicia was slightly surprised by this, Seamus and Harry had always been good friends, it didn't seem like Seamus would be the kind to doubt Harry. Then again, this was this kind of thing that brought out people's true feelings.

Hermione, whom Harry had expected to react angrily on his behalf, sighed.

"Yes, Lavender thinks so too," she said gloomily glancing at Alicia, Harry did the same but the girl ignored both their glances.

"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry said loudly.

"Oh really?" Alicia snapped at him and Hermione placed a hand on her arm.

"No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

"Sorry," said Harry in a low voice.  
"That's quite all right," said Hermione with dignity. "After all Alicia had quite a go at her herself." she admitted and the girl huffed. Hermione shook her head. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?"

Harry and Ron both looked at her blankly, and Hermione sighed again.

"About You-Know-Who. He said, 'His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust —' "

"How do you remember stuff like that?" asked Ron, looking at her in admiration.

"I listen, Ron," said Hermione with a touch of asperity.

"So do I, but I still couldn't tell you exactly what —"

"Hermione and I clearly have better memories than you two." Alicia sighed with a slight smirk. It didn't last.

"The point," Hermione pressed on loudly, "is that this sort of thing is exactly what Dumbledore was talking about. You-Know-Who's only been back two months, and we've started fighting among ourselves. And the Sorting Hat's warning was the same — stand together, be united —"

"And Harry said it last night," retorted Ron, "if that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins, fat chance."

"Yeah well they're probably on his side anyway." Alicia scowled

"Well, I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of inter-House unity," said Hermione crossly.

"Really? You wanna go and be nice to Malfoy and Parkinson?" Alicia asked and Hermione pursed her lips.

They had reached the foot of the marble staircase. A line of fourth year Ravenclaws was crossing the entrance hall; they caught sight of Harry and hurried to form a tighter group, as though frightened he might attack stragglers.

"Yeah, we really ought to be trying to make friends with people like that," said Harry sarcastically.

"Seriously? People are so stupid!" Alicia said loudly and the Ravenclaws scuttled off quickly at her words.

They followed the Ravenclaws into the Great Hall, looking instinctively at the staff table as they entered. Professor Grubbly-Plank was chatting to Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher, and Hagrid was once again conspicuous only by his absence. The enchanted ceiling above them echoed both twins' mood; it was a miserable rain-cloud grey.

"Dumbledore didn't even mention how long that Grubbly-Plank woman's staying," Harry said, as they made their way across to the Gryffindor table.

"Maybe…" said Hermione thoughtfully.

"What?" said both Harry and Ron together.

"Well… maybe he didn't want to draw attention to Hagrid not being here."

"Not that very many would notice regardless." Alicia grumbled looking at the Slytherin table

"What d'you mean, draw attention to it?" said Ron, half laughing. "How could we not notice?"

Before Hermione could answer, a tall black girl with long, braided hair had marched up to Alicia and Harry.

"Hi, Angelina." they chorused

"Hi," she said briskly, "good summer?" And without waiting for an answer, "Listen, I've been made Gryffindor Quidditch Captain."

"Nice one," said Harry, grinning at her; he suspected Angelina's pep talks might not be as long-winded as Oliver Wood's had been, which could only be an improvement.

"Congrats Angelina." Alicia smiled at her "When we starting then? Getting in early?" she wondered. She felt with everything that was happening Quidditch was exactly what she needed to remove and clear her thoughts for a bit.

"Yeah, well, we need a new Keeper now Oliver's left. Tryouts are on Friday at five o'clock and I want the whole team there, all right? Then we can see how the new person'll fit in."

"Okay," said Alicia and Harry, and she smiled at them and departed.

"I seriously need quidditch, a way of being allowed to remove my anger constructively." Alicia said

"I'd forgotten Wood had left," said Hermione vaguely, sitting down beside Ron and pulling a plate of toast toward her. "I suppose that will make quite a difference to the team?"

"I s'pose," said Harry, taking the bench opposite with Alicia "He was a good Keeper…"

"When he wasn't being knocked unconscious." Alicia grinned.

"Still, it won't hurt to have some new blood, will it?" said Ron.

With a whoosh and a clatter, hundreds of owls came soaring in through the upper windows. They descended all over the Hall, bringing letters and packages to their owners and showering the breakfasters with droplets of water; it was clearly raining hard outside. Neither Hedwig and Noel were seen but Alicia didn't bother to look for long. Only Sirius would send her an owl and it had only been twenty-four hours since she'd seem him. Harry, Ron and Hermione were all beside her and didn't need to send letters. Hermione, however, had to move her orange juice aside quickly to make way for a large damp barn owl bearing a sodden Daily Prophet in its beak.

"What are you still getting that for?" said Harry irritably, probably thinking of Seamus, as Hermione placed a Knut in the leather pouch on the owl's leg and it took off again. "I'm not bothering… load of rubbish."

"That's where you're wrong." Alicia said "I mean it's not right crap." she said when Harry looked at her shocked "But it's crap we should probably be aware of after all. Unless you want to Slytherins laughing and snapping at us like last year." she grumbled turning to Hermione.

"It's best to know what the enemy are saying," said Hermione darkly, and she unfurled the newspaper and disappeared behind it, not emerging until Harry and Ron had finished eating.

"Nothing," she said simply, rolling up the newspaper and laying it down by her plate. "Nothing about you or Dumbledore or anything." Professor McGonagall was now moving along the table handing out schedules.

"Think they're gonna give it a break now that school's begun?" Alicia offered as Professor McGonagall handed her, Ron, Harry and Hermione their schedules, distracting the three from answering her.  
"Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defence Against the Dark Arts… Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted…"

"Do mine ears deceive me?" said Fred, arriving with George and squeezing onto the bench beside Harry. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"

"He's still Ron regardless." Alicia grinned before she turned to Ron "And those snack boxes are not all that fun you know."

"Still gets you out of class." Ron shrugged before turning to his brothers. "Look what we've got today," said Ron grumpily, shoving his schedule under Fred's nose. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"Fair point, little bro," said Fred, scanning the column. "You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like."

"Because you'll keep bleeding till you shrivel up, we haven't got an antidote yet," said George, helping himself to a kipper.

"Cheers," said Ron moodily, pocketing his schedule, "but I think I'll take the lessons."

"And speaking of your Skiving Snackboxes," said Hermione, eyeing Fred and George beadily, "you can't advertise for testers on the Gryffindor notice board."

"Says who?" said George, looking astonished.

"Says me," said Hermione. "And Ron."

"Leave me out of it," said Ron hastily.

Hermione glared at him. Fred and George sniggered.

"You'll be singing a different tune soon enough, Hermione," said Fred, thickly buttering a crumpet. "You're starting your fifth year, you'll be begging us for a Snackbox before long."

"And why would starting fifth year mean I want a Skiving Snackbox?" asked Hermione.

"Fifth year's O.W.L. year," said George.

"So?"

"So you've got your exams coming up, haven't you? They'll be keeping your noses so hard to that grindstone they'll be rubbed raw," said Fred with satisfaction.

"Half our year had minor breakdowns coming up to O.W.L.s," said George happily. "Tears and tantrums… Patricia Stimpson kept coming over faint…"

"Kenneth Towler came out in boils, d'you remember?" said Fred reminiscently.

"That's 'cause you put Bulbadox Powder in his pyjamas," said George.

"Oh yeah," said Fred, grinning. "I'd forgotten… Hard to keep track sometimes, isn't it?"

"Anyway, it's a nightmare of a year, the fifth," said George. "If you care about exam results anyway. Fred and I managed to keep our spirits up somehow."

"Yeah… you got, what was it, three O.W.L.s each?" said Ron.

"Yep," said Fred unconcernedly. "But we feel our futures lie outside the world of academic achievement."

"We seriously debated whether we were going to bother coming back for our seventh year," said George brightly, "now that we've got —" Alicia interrupted as Harry gave them a warning look

"You're talking to Hermione." she reminded them "She will not be ditching any classes and her nose will be in every book she can get."

"What about you?" George asked

"I'll be be fine." she said turning away. She believed she'd be retreating to the library just to avoid everyone.

"— well now that we've got our O.W.L.s," George said hastily. "I mean, do we really need N.E.W.T.s? But we didn't think Mum could take us leaving school early, not on top of Percy turning out to be the world's biggest prat."

"We're not going to waste our last year here, though," said Fred, looking affectionately around at the Great Hall. "We're going to use it to do a bit of market research, find out exactly what the average Hogwarts student requires from his joke shop, carefully evaluate the results of our research, and then produce the products to fit the demand."

"But where are you going to get the gold to start a joke shop?" asked Hermione skeptically. "You're going to need all the ingredients and materials — and premises too, I suppose…" Alicia continued eating as Harry dropped his fork and dived to retrieve it.

"Ask us no questions and we'll tell you no lies, Hermione. C'mon, George, if we get there early we might be able to sell a few Extendable Ears before Herbology."

Harry emerged from under the table to see Fred and George walking away, each carrying a stack of toast.

"What did that mean?" said Hermione, looking from Harry to Ron. " 'Ask us no questions…' Does that mean they've already got some gold to start a joke shop?"

"You know, I've been wondering about that," said Ron, his brow furrowed. "They bought me a new set of dress robes this summer, and I couldn't understand where they got the Galleons…"

"Alicia, they talk to you, do you know?" Hermione asked her

"Nope." Alicia said as Harry looked at her and she smiled at him and winked before putting some porridge in her mouth. The boy decided it was time to steer the conversation out of the dangerous waters.

"D'you reckon it's true this year's going to be really tough? Because of the exams?"

"Oh yeah," said Ron. "Bound to be, isn't it? O.W.L.s are really important, affect the jobs you can apply for and everything. We get career advice too, later this year, Bill told me. So you can choose what N.E.W.T.s you want to do next year."

"Basically it's a life changing year." Alicia sighed

"D'you know what you want to do after Hogwarts?" Harry asked the other three, as they left the Great Hall shortly afterward and set off toward their History of Magic classroom.

"Not really," said Ron slowly. "Except… well…"

He looked slightly sheepish.

"What?" Harry urged him.

"Don't hold out on us." Alicia grinned

"Well, it'd be cool to be an Auror," said Ron in an offhand voice.

"Yeah, it would," said Harry fervently.

"But they're, like, the elite," said Ron. "You've got to be really good. What about you, Hermione?"

"I don't know," said Hermione. "I think I'd really like to do something worthwhile."

"An Auror's worthwhile!" said Harry.

"Yes, it is, but it's not the only worthwhile thing," said Hermione thoughtfully. "I mean, if I could take S.P.E.W. further…"

"That's not a career Hermione, you'd need to go into the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And for that you'd need to get enough O. to get into the ministry." Alicia warned her as Harry and Ron carefully avoided looking at each other.

"I guess…" Hermione said worrying about it a little.

"Personally I like the idea of an Auror." Alicia nodded "And then maybe later on, a teacher here."

"A teacher?" Ron asked

"Well, I'm good at spells and I've taught you guys a few things right? Plus it could actually be fun. Like Lupin." she smiled "But maybe as something later on after I've had my adventures and what not."

The boys shared a look as Alicia looked thoughtful.

"To be honest, it's a rather deep question…" Alicia mumbled more to herself.

History of Magic was by common consent the most boring subject ever devised by Wizard-kind. Professor Binns, their ghost teacher, had a wheezy, droning voice that was almost guaranteed to cause severe drowsiness within ten minutes, five in warm weather. He never varied the form of their lessons, but lectured them without pausing while they took notes, or rather, gazed sleepily into space. Harry and Ron had so far managed to scrape passes in this subject only by copying Hermione's notes before exams; she alone seemed able to resist the soporific power of Binns's voice. Even Alicia fell asleep within the class, using her books and her study time with Hermione to get the information later on.

Today they suffered through three quarters of an hour's droning on the subject of giant wars. Harry and Ron ended up spending thirty-five minutes playing hangman on a corner of Harry's parchment, while Hermione shot them filthy looks out of the corner of her eye. Alicia had her head on the table and was staring rather lazily towards the front.

"How would it be," she asked them coldly as they left the classroom for break (Binns drifting away through the blackboard), "if I refused to lend you my notes this year?"

"We'd fail our O.W.L.s," said Ron. "If you want that on your conscience, Hermione…"

"Well, you'd deserve it," she snapped. "You don't even try to listen to him, do you?"

"We do try," said Ron. "It's just hard."

"Alicia does."

"And even she's not listening." Ron pointed

"Don't bring me into it, I at least make the effort to make up for it."

"How?"

"I figure out what the topic is and then just do the research myself. It's a lot more interesting that way." she confessed

"Hermione, we just haven't got your brains or your memory or your concentration — you're just cleverer than we are — is it nice to rub it in?" Ron said

"Oh, don't give me that rubbish," said Hermione, but she looked slightly mollified as she led the way out into the damp courtyard.

A fine misty drizzle was falling, so that the people standing in huddles around the yard looked blurred at the edges. Harry, Ron, Alicia and Hermione chose a secluded corner under a heavily dripping balcony, turning up the collars of their robes against the chilly September air and talking about what Snape was likely to set them in the first lesson of the year. They had got as far as agreeing that it was likely to be something extremely difficult, just to catch them off guard after a two-month holiday, when someone walked around the corner toward them.

"Hello, Harry!"

It was Cho Chang and what was more, she was on her own again. This was most unusual: Cho was almost always surrounded by a gang of giggling girls.

"Hi," said Harry, feeling his face grow hot. Alicia grinned before trying to cover it.

"Morning Cho," she said

"Hey Alicia." the girl grinned brightly at her and Alicia felt like she had warmed up to her more than last year. Alicia had spent a bit of time with Cho before the Yule ball during last December, mostly to give Harry a chance to talk to her and invite her to the ball. Back then though, no one knew the two were siblings. It was through Cho that Alicia met Anthony and got closer with him, Michael and Terry.

"You got that stuff off, then?" Cho said, talking about the Stinksap

"Yeah," said Harry, trying to grin as though the memory of their last meeting was funny as opposed to mortifying. Hermione and Ron looked at Alicia who shook her head indicting she'd tell them later. "So did you… er… have a good summer?" Harry wondered.

Alicia glanced at the boy, that was probably a bad question to ask, and by the look on Harry's face, he realised it also. Cedric had been Cho's boyfriend and the memory of his death must have affected her holiday almost as badly as it had affected Alicia and Harry's…

Something seemed to tauten in her face, but she said, "Oh, it was all right, you know…" Alicia nodded in understanding.

"Is that a Tornados badge?" Ron demanded suddenly, pointing at the front of Cho's robes, to which a sky-blue badge emblazoned with a double gold T was pinned. Alicia head dropped and she sighed. Typical Ron. "You don't support them, do you?"

"Yeah, I do," said Cho.

"Have you always supported them, or just since they started winning the league?" said Ron in an unnecessarily accusatory tone of voice.

"I've supported them since I was six," said Cho coolly. "Anyway… see you, Harry." She walked away. Hermione waited until Cho was halfway across the courtyard before rounding on Ron, Alicia did the same and hit him.

"You are so tactless!"

"What? I only asked her if —"

"Couldn't you tell she wanted to talk to Harry on her own?"

"What did you have to butt in for?" Alicia accused

"So? She could've done, I wasn't stopping —"

"What on earth were you attacking her about her Quidditch team for?"

"Attacking? I wasn't attacking her, I was only —"

"Accusing her of her team." Alicia decided

"Who _cares_ if she supports the Tornados?"

"Oh, come on, half the people you see wearing those badges only bought them last season —"

"But what does it _matter_?"

"It means they're not real fans, they're just jumping on the bandwagon —" Alicia threw her hands in the air in frustration and simply got to her feet as the bell rang. Hermione and Ron didn't move, clearly have not heard it over their bickers.

"That's the bell," said Harry listlessly, joining Alicia and the two leading the way towards the dungeons.

Hermione and Ron did not stop arguing all the way down to Snape's dungeon. Alicia said nothing, it was obviously useless trying to explain to Ron his mistake, but Hermione didn't seem to catch this, continuing to argue.

The ominous sound of Snape's dungeon door rang through the damp hall as it creaked open and everyone filed into the room, the four moving off to their usual table at the back, ignoring the huffy irritable noises now issuing from both Hermione and Ron.

"Settle down," said Snape coldly, shutting the door behind him. There was no real need for the call to order; the moment the class had heard the door close, quiet had fallen and all fidgeting stopped. Snape's mere presence was usually enough to ensure a class's silence.

"Before we begin today's lesson," said Snape, sweeping over to his desk and staring around at them all, "I think it appropriate to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of this class undoubtedly are, I expect you to scrape an 'Acceptable' in your O.W.L., or suffer my… displeasure."

"We suffer that anyway." Alicia mumbled and Ron and Harry chuckled beside her.

Snape's gaze lingered this time upon Neville, who gulped.

"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I take only the very best into my N.E.W.T. Potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying good-bye." His eyes rested on Harry and his lip curled and Harry glared back. "But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell," said Snape softly, "so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students." Alicia took a deep breath. She knew she'd be doing potions next year, it was probably required for a lot of professions. At least she'd have Hermione with her.

"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: the Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing." On Harry's left, Hermione sat up a little straighter, her expression one of the utmost attentiveness. Alicia lifted her head off of her hand and turned to Snape, just the fact that he'd mentioned the exams caused her to want to listen to him more attentively. "The ingredients and method" — Snape flicked his wand — "are on the blackboard" — (they appeared there) — "you will find everything you need" — he flicked his wand again — "in the store cupboard" — (the door of the said cupboard sprang open) — "you have an hour and a half… Start."

Just as Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had predicted, Snape could hardly have set them a more difficult, fiddly potion. The ingredients had to be added to the cauldron in precisely the right order and quantities; the mixture had to be stirred exactly the right number of times, firstly in clockwise, then in counterclockwise directions; the heat of the flames on which it was simmering had to be lowered to exactly the right level for a specific number of minutes before the final ingredient was added.

Alicia took most tentative care with the potion, constantly rereading the instructions on the blackboard. All of her concentration was put towards it, taking her mind off of a lot of other things as she went and glanced back at the board more times than she ever had before.

"A light silver vapour should now be rising from your potion," called Snape, with ten minutes left to go.

Harry, who was sweating profusely, looked desperately around the dungeon. His own cauldron was issuing copious amounts of dark grey steam; Ron's was spitting green sparks. Seamus was feverishly prodding the flames at the base of his cauldron with the tip of his wand, as they had gone out. The surface of Hermione's potion, however, was a shimmering mist of silver vapour, and as Snape swept by he looked down his hooked nose at it without comment, which meant that he could find nothing to criticise. Alicia released a breath as her potion looked misty silver as well and didn't even turn to Snape as he ignored her like usual, however he did glance at the potion none the less. Alicia and Hermione shared a grin and a high five at their success, to which Snape also ignored. At Harry's cauldron, however, Snape stopped, looking down at Harry with a horrible smirk on his face.

"Potter, what is this supposed to be?"

The Slytherins at the front of the class all looked up eagerly; they loved hearing Snape taunt Harry.

"The Draught of Peace," said Harry tensely.

"Tell me, Potter," said Snape softly, "can you read?"

Draco Malfoy laughed.

"Yes, I can," said Harry, his fingers clenched tightly around his wand.

"Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter."

Harry squinted at the blackboard; it was not easy to make out the instructions through the haze of multicoloured steam now filling the dungeon.

" 'Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, then add two drops of syrup of hellebore.' "

Alicia turned from the board and then to Harry who frowned ever so slightly. Apparently he'd missed something.

"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?"

"No," said Harry very quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"No," said Harry, more loudly. "I forgot the hellebore…"

"I know you did, Potter, which means that this mess is utterly worthless. Evanesco."

The contents of Harry's potion vanished; he was left standing foolishly beside an empty cauldron.  
"Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name, and bring it up to my desk for testing," said Snape. "Homework: twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday."

Alicia glanced at Harry with a frown as she filled a flagon and labeled it. She moved to the front desk as she glanced at a few other potions.

Ron's was now giving off a foul odour of bad eggs and Neville's had achieved the consistency of just-mixed cement and which Neville was now having to gouge out of his cauldron.

Alicia retuned as Harry stuffed his wand back into his bag and slumped down onto his seat. Alicia cleaned up her desk, cauldron and ingredients as they waited for the last few minutes to tick past.

When at long last the bell rang, Harry almost ran from the room, being the first out of the dungeon.

Hermione, Ron and Alicia all shared a glance as they finished cleaning up their stations and followed the boy along with the rest of the class.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

"It's no surprise he'd get nicer." Alicia muttered to the two as they proceeded up the stairs. "I bet something about the Order… probably learning of Sirius, has made him nastier." she muttered.

"Still that seemed more unfair than usual." Hermione thought as they entered the Great Hall.

The three spotted Harry and moved over to him to join him as he'd already began eating his lunch. The ceiling had turned an even murkier grey during the morning. Rain was lashing the high windows.

"That was really unfair," said Hermione consolingly, sitting down next to Harry and helping herself to shepherd's pie. "Your potion wasn't nearly as bad as Goyle's, when he put it in his flagon the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire."

"Yeah, well," said Harry, glowering at his plate, "since when has Snape ever been fair to me?"

Neither of the others answered; all three of them knew that Snape and Harry's mutual enmity had been absolute from the moment Harry had set foot in Hogwarts. There was no point as to consoling the boy as it didn't change anything.

"I did think he might be a bit better this year," said Hermione in a disappointed voice. "I mean… you know…" She looked carefully around; there were half a dozen empty seats on either side of them and nobody was passing the table. "… Now he's in the Order and everything."

"I don't think that changes anything." Alicia said as she poked at her pie.

"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots," said Ron sagely. "Anyway, I've always thought Dumbledore was cracked trusting Snape, where's the evidence he ever really stopped working for You-Know-Who?"

"I think Dumbledore's probably got plenty of evidence, even if he doesn't share it with you, Ron," snapped Hermione.

"Oh, shut up, the pair of you," said Harry heavily, as Ron opened his mouth to argue back. Hermione and Ron both froze, looking angry and offended. Alicia sighed, closing her eyes "Can't you give it a rest?" he said. "You're always having a go at each other, it's driving me mad." And abandoning his shepherd's pie, he swung his schoolbag back over his shoulder and left them sitting there.

The two were silent for a minute as they watched him go.

"He's got to stop doing that." Hermione said turning to Ron

"What?" he asked

"Taking his anger out on us. It's not our fault how people are treating him." she believed and she gave him an expected look "Tell him." she said

"Why?"

"Cause it's true!" Hermione snapped.

"Yeah well you two arguing every few seconds over silly little things like toadstools is not helping." Alicia butted in and they turned to her. "How do you expect him to feel? And who else is he going to take his anger out on? If Dumbledore was ignoring you, everyone was whispering behind your back, calling you a lier, thinking you're an attention seeker and more you'd burst every second as well." she admitted

"But it's not fair…" Hermione began

"Since when is anything fair to Harry?" Alicia offered

"You're doing alright." Ron believed

"No. I'm waiting for Quidditch, where I can bash everyone's heads in." Alicia hissed before she too got up and stormed from the Great Hall, being watched by many people eating their lunch.

"Hey," Alicia came to a sudden stop as she saw Ginny, Michael and Anthony entering the Great Hall.

"Oh, hey."

"What's up?" Ginny asked her looking worried

"Oh we just had Potions." Alicia shrugged "Usual." as they looked understanding, annoyed by the thought. "I've got to get to Arithmancy, I'll talk to you later." she waved as she walked around them and then up the stairs to continue to her classroom.

Alicia said very little to Hermione in Arthimancy, the girl however glanced at her several times as they took their notes and listened. They walked in silence to Defence Against the Dark Arts and then sat beside one another within the classroom, others sitting around them. The two boys appeared from Divination and sat on Alicia's left beside one another.

The class was quiet as it entered the room; Professor Umbridge was, as yet, an unknown quantity and nobody knew yet how strict a disciplinarian she was likely to be.

"Well, good afternoon!" she said when finally the whole class had sat down.

A few people mumbled "Good afternoon," in reply.

"Tut, tut," said Professor Umbridge. " _That_ won't do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply 'Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.' One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!"

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted back at her.

Alicia already hated her, she was treating them like five years olds. Why would they want to greet her?

"There, now," said Professor Umbridge sweetly. "That wasn't too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please."

Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order "wands away" had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Alicia did as she was told, glancing at Umbridge as she did so. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:

 _Defence Against the Dark Arts A Return to Basic Principles_.

"Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn't it?" stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year.

"You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory-centred, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please."

She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:

Course aims:

Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic. Learning to recognise situations in which defensive magic can legally be used. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use.

For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge's three course aims she said, "Has everybody got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class.

"I think we'll try that again," said Professor Umbridge. "When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply 'Yes, Professor Umbridge,' or 'No, Professor Umbridge.' So, has everyone got a copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ by Wilbert Slinkhard?"

"Yes, Professor Umbridge," rang through the room.

"Good," said Professor Umbridge. "I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, 'Basics for Beginners.' There will be no need to talk."

Alicia didn't move and she just stared at the women as Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher's desk, observing them all with those pouchy toad's eyes.

Everyone else removed their books and opened their pages. Alicia turned to Hermione beside her.

"Have you read it?" she mouth and Hermione nodded before nodding to the blackboard.

"Theory?" Hermione mouth back and Alicia pulled a face before turning to the blackboard. She glanced at Hermione and nodded her head as Hermione had. Hermione responded by simply raising her hand into the air and staring at Professor Umbridge. The two saw Harry turned to them surprised and both shook their heads as Hermione waited. Professor Umbridge however, looked in a different direction and seemed to be ignoring Hermione, who stared at her waiting.

After several more minutes had passed, however, Harry was not the only one watching Hermione. The chapter they had been instructed to read was so tedious that more and more people were choosing to watch Hermione's mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge's eye than to struggle on with "Basics for Beginners."

When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer.

"Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?" she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her.

"Not about the chapter, no," said Hermione.

"Well, we're reading just now," said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. "If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class."

"I've got a query about your course aims," said Hermione. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows.

"And your name is — ?"

"Hermione Granger," said Hermione.

"Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully," said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness.

"Well, I don't," said Hermione bluntly. "There's nothing written up there about using defensive spells."

There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard.

" _Using_ defensive spells?" Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. "Why, I can't imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to _use_ a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren't expecting to be attacked during class?"

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron ejaculated loudly.

"Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. — ?"

"Weasley," said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air.

Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Harry, Alicia and Hermione immediately raised their hands too. Professor Umbridge's pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before she addressed Hermione.

"Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "Surely the whole point of Defence Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?"

"Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?" asked Professor Umbridge in her falsely sweet voice.

"No, but —"

"Well then, I'm afraid you are not qualified to decide what the 'whole point' of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way —"

"Since when is there any _risk_ within a controlled classroom?" Alicia demanded looking at the women harshly.

"Hand, Miss Evans."

"Miss Potter." Alicia corrected and everyone looked at her either sternly, doubtfully or muttered to one another, a few even looks surprised by Alicia's sudden confidence in the words, as Umbridge stared at her for a minute, pursing her lips.

"What use is that?" said Harry loudly, stealing Umbridge's gaze. "If we're going to be attacked it won't be in a —"

" _Hand_ , Mr. Potter!" sang Professor Umbridge.

Harry thrust his fist in the air. Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him again, but now several other people had their hands up too.

"And your name is?" Professor Umbridge said to Dean.

"Dean Thomas."

"Well, Mr. Thomas?"

"Well, it's like Harry said, isn't it?" said Dean. "If we're going to be attacked, it won't be risk-free —"

"I repeat," said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, "do you expect to be attacked during my classes?"

"No, but —"

Professor Umbridge talked over him.

"I do not wish to criticise the way things have been run in this school," she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, "but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed — not to mention," she gave a nasty little laugh, "extremely dangerous half-breeds."

Alicia gave the women a deadly look, so much so that Hermione nudged her, giving her a stern look to discontinue her disapproval.

"If you mean Professor Lupin," piped up Dean Thomas angrily, "he was the best we ever —"

" _Hand_ , Mr. Thomas! As I was saying — you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day —"

"No we haven't," Hermione said, "we just —"

" _Your hand is not up, Miss Granger_!"

Hermione put up her hand; Professor Umbridge turned away from her.

"It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you —"

"Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn't he?" said Dean Thomas hotly. "Mind you, we still learned loads —"

" _Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas_!" trilled Professor Umbridge. "Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?" she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up.

"Parvati Patil, and isn't there a practical bit in our Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren't we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter-curses and things?"

"As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions," said Professor Umbridge dismissively.

"Without ever practicing them before?" said Parvati incredulously.

"Theory cannot have us practicing the wand movements required correctly!" Alicia said strongly

" _Hand_ , Miss Evans!"

"Potter!" Alicia snapped back again.

"Are you telling us that the first time we'll get to do the spells will be during our exam?" Parvati continued

"I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough —"

"And what good's theory going to be in the real world?" said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again.

Professor Umbridge looked up.  
"This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world," she said softly.

"School's supposed to prepare us for the real world!" Alicia believed, her hand was in the air as she spoke and Umbridge looked from her to Harry as he spoke again.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"

"There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."

"Oh yeah?" said Harry. His temper, which seemed to have been bubbling just beneath the surface all day, was reaching boiling point.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?" inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice.

"Hmm, let's think…" said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice as he turned to Alicia who looked just as frustrated with the toad-like women.

"Maybe _Lord Voldemort_?" they two of them chorused.

Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans."

"Potter!"

"Another ten points." Umbridge said turning to Alicia who was fuming.

The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry and Alicia.

"Now, let me make a few things quite plain." Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned toward them, her stubby-fingered hands splayed on her desk. "You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead —"

"He wasn't dead," said Harry and Alicia angrily, "but yeah, he's returned!"

"Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself," said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. _This is a lie_."

"It is not a lie! Who the hell gives you the right to say that?!" Alicia snapped angrily, actually on her feet as Harry shouted "It is NOT a lie! I saw him, Alicia and I fought him!" he pointed to the girl.

"Detention, Mr. Potter! Miss Evans!" said Professor Umbridge triumphantly as Alicia corrected her again angrily. "Tomorrow evening. Five o'clock. My office. I repeat, _this is a lie_. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, 'Basics for Beginners.' "

Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk again. Harry, however, stood up beside Alicia, who didn't move. Everyone was staring at him; Seamus looked half-scared, half-fascinated.

"Harry, no!" Hermione whispered in a warning voice. "Alicia," Hermione tired but the girl ignored him.

"So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?" Harry asked, his voice shaking.

There was a collective intake of breath from the class, for none of them, apart from Ron and Hermione, had ever heard Harry talk about what had happened on the night that Cedric had died. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face.

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident," she said coldly.

"And Accident!?" Alicia snapped "How the hell does someone just die accidentally?"

"It was murder," said Harry. He was shaking in his anger. "Voldemort killed him, and you know it."

"What else could have caused such a tragedy?" Alicia demanded "Are you going to say it was an accident that rogue dementors had attacked Harry over the summer?" and the entire class gasped as they looked at the twins. Many looked frightened at the concept. "I expect next you'll start to pretend that didn't happen as well. As well as the fact that the Ministry held an entire criminal trial in front of the entire Wizengamot for defending himself in such a situation."

Professor Umbridge's face was quite blank as many of the class were looking at each other surprised that such an event had occurred, with no news being expressed about it. Hermione and Ron were looking at the two, also surprised Alicia had brought up the event.

The twins just stared at the women and for a moment it looked like Professor Umbridge was going to scream at the two of them. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, "Come here, Mr. Potter, dear. Miss Evans." Harry kicked his chair aside and strode around Ron and up to the teachers desk. Alicia didn't move. Everyone was holding their breath as they watched the two.

Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink, and started scribbling, hunched over so that Harry could not see what she was writing. Nobody spoke. After a minute or so she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand; it sealed itself seamlessly so that he could not open it.

"Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear," said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him. "Miss Evans." again Alicia didn't move. "I asked you dear to come here."

"No. You asked Miss Evans to. If you wish for me to comply I'd appreciate it if you'd address me correctly." she said strongly, her eyes angry and hard.

"Miss Evans," Umbridge began again but Alicia still didn't move. Umbridge watched her and her eyes held a certain edge in which it could been seen that her patients was wearing thin. Instead of addressing Alicia properly, Umbridge simply wrote out another pink piece of paper and then she herself got up from her seat and walked to Alicia, handing her the letter. "Accompany Mr Potter, Miss Evans." she said and Alicia glared at her toad-like face.

Harry, whether in his anger or in worry for his sister of some sort, grabbed Alicia and pulled her from the room as he left without saying a word or looking at anyone. He slammed the door behind him and Alicia shrugged her arm from his grip.

Neither of them said a word as they walked quickly down the corridor, their footsteps being the only sound around them.

Unfortunately, they walked slap into Peeves the Poltergeist, a wide-faced little man floating on his back in midair, juggling several inkwells.

"Why, it's Potty Wee Potter!" cackled Peeves, allowing two of the inkwells to fall to the ground where they smashed and spattered the walls with ink; Harry jumped backward out of the way with a snarl.

"Get out of it, Peeves."

"Oooh, Crackpot's feeling cranky," said Peeves, pursuing Harry along the corridor as Alicia grabbed his arm and just pulled him along ignoring the poltergeist. Harry leered as he zoomed along above him. "What is it this time, my fine Potty friend? Hearing voices? Seeing visions? Speaking in" — Peeves blew a gigantic raspberry — " _tongues_?"

"I said, leave me ALONE!" Harry shouted but Alicia turned around and flicked her wand. A giant gust of wind blew from it and Peeves went flying down the corridor with a shout as Alicia's expression was murderous.

A door to their left flew open after Harry's shout and Professor McGonagall emerged from her office looking grim and slightly harassed.

"What on _earth_ are you shouting about, Potter?" she snapped looking at them both "Why aren't you both in class?"

"We've been sent to see you," said Harry stiffly.

"Sent? What do you mean, sent?"

Both of them held out the notes from Professor Umbridge. Professor McGonagall took it from them, opening Harry's first with a frown. She slit it open with a tap of her wand, stretched it out, and began to read. Her eyes zoomed from side to side behind their square spectacles as she read what Umbridge had written, and with each line they became narrower.

She opened the other before turning to them.

"Come in here, Potter."

They both followed her inside her study. The door closed automatically behind him.

"Well?" said Professor McGonagall, rounding on him. "Is this true?"

"Is what true?" Harry asked, rather more aggressively than he had intended. "Professor?" he added in an attempt to sound more polite.

"Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?"

"Yes," said Harry and Alicia.

"You called her a liar?"

"Yes."

"You told her He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?"

"Yes."

Professor McGonagall sat down behind her desk, frowning at Harry and at Alicia, the girl of which had her arms crossed.

Then she said, "Have a biscuit, Potter."

"Have — what?"

"Have a biscuit," she repeated impatiently, indicating a tartan tin of cookies lying on top of one of the piles of papers on her desk. "And sit down."

Alicia sat down but did not touch a biscuit. Harry sank into a chair opposite Professor McGonagall and beside Alicia, helping himself to a Ginger Newt.

Professor McGonagall set down Professor Umbridge's notes and looked very seriously at the two.

"Potter, you both need to be careful."

Alicia rose an eyebrow as Harry swallowed his mouthful. Professor McGonagall's tone of voice was not brisk, crisp or stern, it was low and anxious, somehow much more human than usual.

"Misbehaviour in Dolores Umbridge's class could cost you much more than House points and a detention."

"What do you — ?"

"Potter, use your common sense," snapped Professor McGonagall, with an abrupt return to her usual manner. "You know where she comes from, you must know to whom she is reporting."

The bell rang for the end of the lesson. Overhead and all around came the elephantine sounds of hundreds of students on the move.

"It says here she's given you both detention every evening this week, starting tomorrow," Professor McGonagall said, looking down at Umbridge's note again.

"She only said tomorrow!" Alicia returned frustratedly

"Every evening this week!" Harry repeated, horrified. "But, Professor, couldn't you — ?"

"No, I couldn't," said Professor McGonagall flatly.

"But —"

Alicia didn't bother to argue but slumped in her seat.

"She is your teacher and has every right to give you detention. You will go to her room at five o'clock tomorrow for the first one. Just remember: Tread carefully around Dolores Umbridge."

"I was just angry she didn't address me properly. She cannot deny who I am, all of the Ministry knows about that… most of them anyway." Alicia said

"But I was telling the truth!" said Harry, outraged. "Voldemort's back, you know he is, Professor Dumbledore knows he is —"

"For heaven's sake, Potter!" said Professor McGonagall, straightening her glasses angrily (she had winced horribly when he had used Voldemort's name). "Do you really think this is about truth or lies? It's about keeping your head down and your temper under control!" Professor McGonagall looked at Alicia, she knew better than anyone her temper flared more than Harry's.

She stood up, nostrils wide and mouth very thin, and he stood too.

"Have another biscuit," she said irritably, thrusting the tin at him.

"No, thanks," said Harry coldly.

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped.

He took one.

"Thanks," he said grudgingly.

"Didn't you listen to Dolores Umbridge's speech at the start-of-term feast, Potter?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah…she said… progress will be prohibited or… well, it meant that… that the Ministry of Magic is trying to interfere at Hogwarts."

"And that it seems Umbridge is actually trying to limit our abilities for some reason."

Professor McGonagall eyed Harry for a moment, then sniffed, walked around her desk, and held open the door for him.

"Well, I'm glad you listen to Hermione Granger at any rate," she said, pointing him out of her office.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

The rumours of Alicia and Harry's shouting match with Umbridge spread faster than any other rumour since their arrival. Even for Hogwarts standards everyone heard the news faster than expected. The muttering was now changed for talking and some raised their voices as if wanting Harry and Alicia to hear it. Alicia felt like they were trying to provoke them, as through their anger they had released some of the story first hand and hoped they'd hear more.

"He says they saw Cedric Diggory murdered…"

"He reckons they duelled with You-Know-Who…"

"Come off it…"

"Who does he think he's kidding?"

"Pur- _lease_ …"

"But the dementors…"

"Dementors don't go wondering around."

"What I don't get," said Harry in a shaking voice, laying down his knife and fork (his hands were trembling too much to hold them steady), "is why they all believed the story two months ago when Dumbledore told them…"

"The thing is, Harry, I'm not sure they did," said Hermione grimly.

"Or the shock caused them to contemplate it at least until the prophet got involved." Alicia added as Hermione looked around.

"Oh, let's get out of here." She slammed down her own knife and fork; Ron looked sadly at his half-finished apple pie but followed suit. People stared at them all the way out of the Hall.

"What d'you mean, you're not sure they believed Dumbledore?" Harry asked Hermione when they reached the first-floor landing.

"Look, you don't understand what it was like after it happened," said Hermione quietly. "You arrived back in the middle of the lawn clutching Cedric's dead body… None of us saw what happened in the maze…We just had Dumbledore's word for it that You-Know-Who had come back and killed Cedric and fought you."

"Which is the truth!" said Harry loudly. Alicia ground her teeth slightly. She was getting annoyed at Harry always trying to convince those who already believed them, especially Hermione and Ron. Besides, what was shouting at them going to do? But she reminded herself of the anger she felt and was trying to ignore and how he was probably feeling the same.

"I know it is, Harry, so will you please stop biting my head off?" said Hermione wearily. "It's just that before the truth could sink in, everyone went home for the summer, where they spent two months reading about how you're a nutcase and Dumbledore's going senile!"

Rain pounded on the windowpanes as they strode along the empty corridors back to Gryffindor Tower. Today seemed to have lasted forever and yet it wasn't finished, the mound of homework weighing down Alicia's bag over her shoulder reminding her of that. At least there was something to distract her from the thought of spending the rest of her evenings that week with Umbridge.

" _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ ," said Hermione, before the Fat Lady could ask. The portrait swung open to reveal the hole behind and the four of them scrambled back through it.

The common room was almost empty; nearly everyone was still down at dinner. Crookshanks uncoiled himself from an armchair and trotted to meet them, purring loudly, and when Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione took their favourite chairs at the fireside he leapt lightly into Hermione's lap and curled up there like a furry ginger cushion. Harry gazed into the flames, feeling drained and exhausted.

Alicia couldn't stand sitting there doing nothing, staring around the common room and so she pulled out her potions book to get Snape's homework on moonstones out of the way. She'd hardly written one sentence before Hermione suddenly burst, causing Crookshanks to leap off her and Harry, Alicia and Ron all jumped.

" _How_ can Dumbledore have let this happen?" Hermione cried, pounding the arms of her chair in fury, so that bits of stuffing leaked out of the holes. "How can he let that terrible woman teach us? And in our O.W.L. year too!"

"Well, we've never had great Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, have we?" said Harry. "You know what it's like, Hagrid told us, nobody wants the job, they say it's jinxed."

"Yes, but to employ someone who's actually refusing to let us do magic! _What's_ Dumbledore playing at?"

"And she's trying to get people to spy for her," said Ron darkly. "Remember when she said she wanted us to come and tell her if we hear anyone saying You-Know-Who's back?"

"Personally I don't think Dumbledore had much of a choice." Alicia sighed "During Harry's hearing Dumbledore said the ministry had no influence over Hogwarts and what happens there. Fudge's reply sounds like he was taking on a challenge. Knowing Fudge he'd probably put Umbridge here to keep an eye on Dumbledore and change that fact." Harry nodded mutely in remembrance and Hermione just looked more annoyed.

"Of course she's here to spy on us all, that's obvious, why else would Fudge have wanted her to come?" snapped Hermione.

"Don't start arguing again," said Harry wearily, as Ron opened his mouth to retaliate. "Can't we just… Let's just do that homework, get it out of the way…"

Alicia turned her face back to her books and parchment as the other three grabbed their schoolbags from the corner and returned to her side just as people began to return from dinner. Alicia kept her head down as she felt the stares, reading over a paragraph to reinterpret.

"Shall we do Snape's stuff first?" said Ron, dipping his quill into his ink, glancing at Alicia and her start on the homework. "' _The properties… of moonstone… and its uses… in potion-making…_ '" he muttered, writing the words across the top of his parchment as he spoke them. "There." He underlined the title, then looked up expectantly at Hermione.

"So what are the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making?"

But Hermione was not listening. Alicia looked up when the girl did not reply to see she was squinting over into the far corner of the room, where Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were now sitting at the centre of a knot of innocent-looking first years, all of whom were chewing something that seemed to have come out of a large paper bag that Fred was holding.

"I guess they found their volunteers to test on." Alicia mumbled. Hermione looked at her with scrutiny and Alicia bit her lip.

"No, I'm sorry, they've gone too far," she said, standing up and looking positively furious. "Come on, Ron."

"I — what?" said Ron, plainly playing for time. "No — come on, Hermione — we can't tell them off for giving out sweets…"

"You know perfectly well that those are bits of Nosebleed Nougat or — or Puking Pastilles or —"

"Fainting Fancies?" Harry suggested quietly.

One by one, as though hit over the heads with invisible mallets, the first years were slumping unconscious in their seats; some slid right onto the floor, others merely hung over the arms of their chairs, their tongues lolling out. Most of the people watching were laughing; Hermione, however, squared her shoulders and marched directly over to where Fred and George now stood with clipboards, closely observing the unconscious first years. Ron rose halfway out of his chair, hovered uncertainly for a moment or two, then muttered to Harry, "She's got it under control," before sinking as low in his chair as his lanky frame permitted.

"Sure…" Alicia muttered to him.

"That's enough!" Hermione said forcefully to Fred and George, both of whom looked up in mild surprise.

"Yeah, you're right," said George, nodding, "this dosage looks strong enough, doesn't it?"

"I told you this morning, you can't test your rubbish on students!"

"We're paying them!" said Fred indignantly.

"I don't care, it could be dangerous!"

"Rubbish," said Fred.

"Calm down, Hermione, they're fine!" said Lee reassuringly as he walked from first year to first year, inserting purple sweets into their open mouths.

"Yeah, look, they're coming round now," said George.

A few of the first years were indeed stirring. Several looked so shocked to find themselves lying on the floor, or dangling off their chairs, that Harry was sure Fred and George had not warned them what the sweets were going to do.

"Feel all right?" said George kindly to a small dark-haired girl lying at his feet.

"I-I think so," she said shakily.

"Excellent," said Fred happily, but the next second Hermione had snatched both his clipboard and the paper bag of Fainting Fancies from his hands.

"It is NOT excellent!"

" 'Course it is, they're alive, aren't they?" said Fred angrily.

"You can't do this, what if you made one of them really ill?"

"We're not going to make them ill, we've already tested them all on ourselves and Alicia." Alicia looked up horrified and Hermione turned to give her a glare. Alicia flinched looking more than guilty before she looked a the twins with a murderous look that made Harry and Ron share a very worried glance. "This is just to see if everyone reacts the same —" Fred continued

"If you don't stop doing it, I'm going to —"

"Put us in detention?" said Fred in an I'd-like-to-see-you-try-it voice.

"Make us write lines?" said George, smirking.

Onlookers all over the room were laughing. Hermione drew herself up to her full height; her eyes were narrowed and her bushy hair seemed to crackle with electricity.

"No," she said, her voice quivering with anger, "but I will write to your mother."

"You wouldn't," said George, horrified, taking a step back from her.

"Oh, yes, I would," said Hermione grimly. "I can't stop you eating the stupid things yourselves, but you're not giving them to first years." Fred and George looked thunderstruck. It was clear that as far as they were concerned, Hermione's threat was way below the belt. With a last threatening look at them, she thrust Fred's clipboard and the bag of Fancies back into his arms and stalked back to her chair by the fire. Ron was now so low in his seat that his nose was roughly level with his knees.

"Thank you for your support, Ron," Hermione said acidly. She looked at Alicia who had her eyes on her book, turning to write some notes on her parchment.

"You handled it fine by yourself," Ron mumbled.

Hermione stared down at her blank piece of parchment for a few seconds, then said edgily, "Oh, it's no good, I can't concentrate now. I'm going to bed."

She wrenched her bag open; Harry thought she was about to put her books away, but instead she pulled out two misshapen woolly objects, placed them carefully on a table by the fireplace, covered them with a few screwed-up bits of parchment and a broken quill, and stood back to admire the effect.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing?" said Ron, watching her as though fearful for her sanity.

"They're hats for house-elves," she said briskly, now stuffing her books back into her bag. "I did them over the summer. I'm a really slow knitter without magic, but now I'm back at school I should be able to make lots more."

"You're leaving out hats for the house-elves?" said Ron slowly. "And you're covering them up with rubbish first?"

"What the hell Hermione?" Alicia demanded "You're going to force them to accept clothes!?"

"Yes," said Hermione defiantly, swinging her bag onto her back.

"That's not on," said Ron angrily. "You're trying to trick them into picking up the hats. You're setting them free when they might not want to be free."

"Of course they want to be free!" said Hermione at once, though her face was turning pink. "Don't you dare touch those hats, Ron!" She left. Ron waited until she had disappeared through the door to the girls' dormitories, then cleared the rubbish off the woolly hats.

"They should at least see what they're picking up," he said firmly. "Anyway…" He rolled up the parchment on which he had written the title of Snape's essay. "There's no point trying to finish this now, I can't do it without Hermione, I haven't got a clue what you're supposed to do with moonstones, have you?" Harry shook his head.

Alicia scratched at her scar on her neck as she wrote some more about the properties of Moonstones. A second later Harry was packing up his things and decided he was going to bed, running for the dormitory as Seamus opened his mouth to speak. Ron turned to Alicia.

"He's really not coping."

"Really?" Alicia asked without looking up, a sarcastic tone to her voice. "Can you blame him?" Alicia sighed

"What about you…?" he asked tentatively. Alicia glanced at him.

"I'm fine." she said "When I'm busy." and she continued to write her essay. Ron glanced at it before he reopened his own essay.

"So…?" he began "Does that mean I can lengthen your busy time?" he grinned and Alicia rolled her eyes but smile slightly.

"Fine." she said "But you have to put the properties into proper sentences." she warned. Ron shrugged

"As long as I have the properties."

"I don't know what Hermione's playing at." Fred muttered irritated as he moved over to the two and and glared at the girls staircase.

"Well you're the ones endangering students in front of her." Alicia rolled her eyes as she wrote down simple properties of moonstone for Ron, also writing down books that could help him find the information on them.

"We're not endangering." George defended

"You're experimenting in a way, which could lead to danger. Regardless of if you know they're safe, what proof does she have of that? Look, I'm not going to stop you but if you don't want your mother to find out, I suggest you don't do it in front of Hermione." she shrugged

"Can't you talk to her?" Fred asked her and Alicia looked at Fred like he was mad.

"Talk? To Hermione? The freshly made Prefect?" she asked "You do remember she was the closest person to Percy right?" the twins shared a defeated look.

"Just be smarter." Alicia shrugged "After all, we don't need Mrs Weasley stopping the Joke shop progress." she grinned and the twins nodded before getting up.

"I don't understand how they listen to you." Ron admitted

"I'm reasonable." she shrugged and he watched her, unsure how to feel about her power of control.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20:

Alicia felt a little better the next day. She'd managed to get her potions essay done and get Ron to do at least half of his. The next day consisted of double charms and double transfiguration, Alicia's favourite classes by far.

Hermione was in a better mood the next morning as well, considering her hats had been taken or removed from the table over night. Ron, amongst their arguing in Hermione's methods, insulted her knit work and Hermione refused to speak to him all morning.

In Charms and Transfiguration both Flitwick and Professor McGonagall spent the first fifteen minutes of their lessons lecturing the class on the importance of O.W.L.s.

"What you must remember," said little Professor Flitwick squeakily, perched as ever on a pile of books so that he could see over the top of his desk, "is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I'm afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!"

They then spent more than an hour reviewing Summoning Charms, which according to Professor Flitwick were bound to come up in their O.W.L., and he rounded off the lesson by setting them their largest amount of Charms homework ever.

It was the same, if not worse, in Transfiguration.

"You cannot pass an O.W.L.," said Professor McGonagall grimly, "without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work." Neville made a sad little disbelieving noise. "Yes, you too, Longbottom," said Professor McGonagall. "There's nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So… today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L."

The prompt that Vanishing Spells were apparently difficult gave Alicia a sense of determination. Spells were her favourite, one of the reasons she enjoyed charms so much. When given the chance or told they were going to try something difficult she felt a sense of requirement to succeed.

They spent the double period with snails on their desks, the fact that the snails had no vertebrae apparently made it easier to vanish the animal. Alicia went through her mind, thinking of reading on the spell a year or so previous. Snape had used the spell yesterday on Harry's potion and she remembered his movement as she turned to her snail.

Hermione beside her had given the spell a go and nothing had happened. Alicia knew Hermione was disappointed when she didn't get something and the purse of her lips confirmed that.

"Hermione, breath, try again." Alicia said

"You give it a try." Hermione decided and Alicia turned to her snail, sliding its way slowly over her desk and leaving a trial of slime behind it. Alicia turned to her snail and flicked her wand. The snail seemed to flicker and turn paler, but did not vanish. Alicia pulled the same expression as Hermione had, the girl smiled.

"Alicia, breath, try again." Hermione quoted her and Alicia looked at her annoyed. However she did take a breath and tried again.

After calming her mind the snail vanished. Alicia blinked and peered closer. Hermione did the same before turning to her snail to try again. Alicia watched her desk as though looking for the vanished snail as Hermione tried again. Professor McGonagall appeared as Hermione gave it one more shot and her snail vanished.

"Well done Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor." she looked at Alicia.

"Miss Potter." Alicia looked up slightly surprised, she hadn't actually been addressed as that yet.

"Alicia vanished her's too." Hermione said

"I think so anyway, it vanished." she frowned slightly

"Well done Miss Potter." a few people had turned to them as they heard her name and Alicia nodded "Another ten points."

"Can I have another snail just to be sure?" Alicia wondered and the Professor nodded.

Alicia succeeded again the next time and was now convinced as Hermione congratulated her.

By the end of the class, the two girls were the only ones to succeed in the Vanishing Spell and were the only ones who didn't get any homework.

Because of their piling homework Harry and Ron spent their lunch break in the library, Ron using Alicia's aid the night before on his homework to help Harry. Hermione, still angry at Ron didn't join them and Alicia, not wanting to leave the girl on her own, went to lunch with Hermione instead of the library with the boys, much to Ron's disappointment.

The day had become cool and breezy as Alicia and Hermione made their way down the slop to Hagrid's cabin where Professor Grubbly-Plank was standing ten yards away behind a long throttle table, laden with many twigs.

"Bowtruckles." Alicia and Hermione chorused to one another.

They ignored Malfoy as he arrived laughing with his cronies, Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson. Harry and Ron appearing just before them, Harry glancing at Malfoy as he shot him a smirk, clearly making the joke about Harry, to no surprise.

"Everyone here?" barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, once all the Slytherins and Gryffindors had arrived. "Let's crack on then — who can tell me what these things are called?"

She indicated the heap of twigs in front of her. Hermione's hand shot into the air, Alicia's too but with less urgency. Behind her back, Malfoy did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping up and down in eagerness to answer a question. Pansy Parkinson gave a shriek of laughter that turned almost at once into a scream, as the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twiglike fingers at the end of each hand, and a funny, flat, barklike face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered.

"Oooooh!" said Parvati and Lavender.

"Kindly keep your voices down, girls!" said Professor Grubbly-Plank sharply, scattering a handful of what looked like brown rice among the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food. "So — anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?"

"Bowtruckles," said Hermione. "They're tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees."

"Five points for Gryffindor," said Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Yes, these are bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?"

"Wood lice," said Hermione promptly, which explained why the, apparent, grains of brown rice were moving.

"But fairy eggs if they can get them." Alicia added

"Good girls, take another five points each. So whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs. So if you'd like to gather closer, take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle — I have enough here for one between four — you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson."

Harry glanced at Alicia and nodded his head and she nodded back in agreement. The two of them turned and moved around the table to Professor Grubbly-Plank as everyone picked their bowtruckles.

"Where's Hagrid?" he asked her

"Never you mind," said Professor Grubbly-Plank repressively, which had been her attitude last time Hagrid had failed to turn up for a class too. Smirking all over his pointed face, Draco Malfoy leaned across Harry and seized the largest bowtruckle.

"Maybe," said Malfoy in an undertone, so that only Harry could hear him, "the stupid great oaf 's got himself badly injured."

"Maybe you will if you don't shut up," said Harry out of the side of his mouth.

"Maybe he's been messing with stuff that's too big for him, if you get my drift."

"You better watch it or it might become a big problem for you as well." Alicia returned, holding the same tone as Malfoy who looked at her with annoyance, clearly noticing that his thought of knowing more than her was incorrect.

Malfoy glared at her before he turned and walked away. Harry stared after the boy also before the two returned to Ron and Hermione, who were trying to persuade a bowtruckle to remain still long enough to draw it. The twins pulled out parchment and quills, crouched down beside the others, and related in a whisper what Malfoy had just said.

"Dumbledore would know if something had happened to Hagrid," said Hermione at once. "It's just playing into Malfoy's hands to look worried, it tells him we don't know exactly what's going on. We've got to ignore him, Harry. Here, hold the bowtruckle for a moment, just so I can draw its face…"

"You know what he meant." Harry said to Alicia

"I have a theory." Alicia said "What his mission is I mean."

"What is it?" Harry demanded. The girl glanced around them as Hermione and Ron looked at her also.

"Giants."

"Giants?" Ron demanded and Alicia nodded

"Yes," came Malfoy's clear drawl from the group nearest them, "Father was talking to the Minister just a couple of days ago, you know, and it sounds as though the Ministry's really determined to crack down on substandard teaching in this place. So even if that over-grown moron does show up again, he'll probably be sent packing straight away."

"OUCH!"

Harry had gripped the bowtruckle so hard that it had almost snapped; it had just taken a great retaliatory swipe at his hand with its sharp fingers, leaving two long deep cuts there. Harry dropped it; Crabbe and Goyle, who had already been guffawing at the idea of Hagrid being sacked, laughed still harder as the bowtruckle set off at full tilt toward the forest, a little, moving stickman soon swallowed up by the tree roots. Alicia sighed as she took her wand out and took Harry's hand in hers. She mended his scars before they marched up the slop to Herbology. "If he calls Hagrid a moron one more time…" snarled Harry.

"Harry, don't go picking a row with Malfoy, don't forget, he's a prefect now, he could make life difficult for you…"

"Wow, I wonder what it'd be like to have a difficult life?" said Harry sarcastically. Ron laughed, Alicia chuckled, but Hermione frowned. Together they traipsed across the vegetable patch. The sky still appeared unable to make up its mind whether it wanted to rain or not.

"I just wish Hagrid would hurry up and get back, that's all," said Harry in a low voice, as they reached the greenhouses. "And don't say that Grubbly-Plank woman's a better teacher!" he added threateningly to both girls.

Alicia shook her head and said nothing.

"I wasn't going to," said Hermione calmly.

"Because she'll never be as good as Hagrid," said Harry firmly, fully aware that he had just experienced an exemplary Care of Magical Creatures lesson and was thoroughly annoyed about it.

The door of the nearest greenhouse opened and some fourth years spilled out of it, including Ginny.

"Hi," she said brightly as she passed. A few seconds later, Luna Lovegood emerged, trailing behind the rest of the class, a smudge of earth on her nose and her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head. When she saw Harry, her prominent eyes seemed to bulge excitedly and she made a beeline straight for him, turning to Alicia who rose an eyebrow. Many of his classmates turned curiously to watch. Luna took a great breath and then said, without so much as a preliminary hello: "I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him."

"Er — right," said Harry awkwardly. Luna was wearing what looked like a pair of orange radishes for earrings, a fact that Parvati and Lavender seemed to have noticed, as they were both giggling and pointing at her earlobes.

"Thanks Luna." Alicia smiled kindly.

"You can laugh!" Luna said, her voice rising, apparently under the impression that Parvati and Lavender were laughing at what she had said rather than what she was wearing. "But people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!"

"Well, they were right, weren't they?" said Hermione impatiently. "There weren't any such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Luna gave her a withering look and flounced away, radishes swinging madly. Parvati and Lavender were not the only ones hooting with laughter now.

"D'you mind not offending the only people who believe me?" Harry asked Hermione as they made their way into class.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Harry, you can do better than _her_ ," said Hermione. "Ginny's told me all about her, apparently she'll only believe in things as long as there's no proof at all. Well, I wouldn't expect anything else from someone whose father runs _The Quibbler_."

"Well Hermione, I'm glad to see you judge people by what they choose to believe in and not by if they're nice or not." Alicia snapped, Hermione look a little taken aback. " _'We can do better then her'_?" Alicia asked quoting Hermione. "When have we fallen so low to say such things?" Ron and Harry looked surprised as Alicia pushed through into the greenhouse.

Harry followed her with a slight frown, surprised Alicia had snapped at Hermione like that, but the two stopped as Ernie Macmillan stopped before Alicia and caused the two to halt.

"I want you to know, Potter," he said in a loud, carrying voice, "that it's not only weirdos who support you. I personally believe you one hundred percent. My family have always stood firm behind Dumbledore, and so do I." Alicia smiled

"Thanks Ernie." she said as Harry looked taken aback but pleased.

"Er — thanks very much, Ernie," said Harry.

To nobody's surprise, Professor Sprout started their lesson by lecturing them about the importance of O.W.L.s. She finished the lesson by giving them yet another essay at the end of class. Tired and smelling strongly of dragon dung, Professor Sprout's preferred brand of fertiliser, the Gryffindors trooped back up to the castle an hour and a half later, none of them talking very much; it had been another long day.

Alicia couldn't wait to get some dinner into her, her stomach churning and making noises, the fact that she and Harry had their fist detention with Umbridge at five prompted them both to go straight to the Great Hall, without stopping by the Gryffindor Tower.

The two stopped however when a loud angry voice sounded before they reached the Great Hall's entrance.

"Oy, Potter!"

"What now?" Harry muttered wearily as Alicia looked worried, both turning to face Angelina Johnson, who looked as though she was in a towering temper.

"Oh no…" Alicia mumbled

"I'll tell you what now," she said, marching straight up to the twins and poking Harry hard in the chest with her finger. "How come you've both landed yourselves in detention for five o'clock on Friday?" She rounded on Alicia and the girl just huffed annoyed.

"What?" said Harry. "Why…" Alicia nudged him and Harry remembered "Oh yeah, Keeper tryouts!"

"Now he remembers!" snarled Angelina. "Didn't I tell you both I wanted to do a tryout with the _whole team_ , and find someone who _fitted in with everyone_? Didn't I tell you I'd booked the Quidditch pitch specially? And now you've decided you're not going to be there!"

"We didn't decide this Angelina." Alicia replied

"I didn't decide not to be there!" said Harry, stung by the injustice of these words. "I got detention from that Umbridge woman, just because I told her the truth about You-Know-Who —"

"Well, you can just go straight to her and ask her to let you off on Friday," said Angelina fiercely, "and I don't care how you do it, tell her You-Know-Who's a figment of your imagination if you like, just _make sure you're there_!"

"She gave me detention for being Harry's brother." Alicia said "Can't really lie about that." but Angelina was already storming away as Alicia called after her, earning a few glances.

Alicia huffed. "Great." she complained turning to Harry.

"You know what?" Harry said to Ron and Hermione as they entered the Great Hall. "I think we'd better check with Puddlemere United whether Oliver Wood's been killed during a training session, because she seems to be channeling his spirit."

"What d'you reckon are the odds of Umbridge letting you off on Friday?" said Ron skeptically, as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"None." Alicia decided as Harry said "Less than zero,"

"Better try, though, hadn't I? I'll offer to do two more detentions or something, I dunno…" Alicia nodded

"I think Quidditch is worth that." she mumbled and then remembered her anger in Umbridge's class "Maybe…" Harry nodded as he swallowed a mouthful of potato.

"I hope she doesn't keep me too long this evening. You realise we've got to write three essays, practice Vanishing Spells for McGonagall, work out a countercharm for Flitwick, finish the bowtruckle drawing, and start that stupid dream diary for Trelawney?"

Ron moaned and for some reason glanced up at the ceiling.

" _And_ it looks like it's going to rain."

"What's that got to do with our homework?" said Hermione, her eyebrows raised.

"Nothing," said Ron at once, his ears reddening.

"Rains depressing." Alicia said "Doesn't put a person in a good mood, does it?" Ron pointed at her nodding as though trying to use that as his reason. Alicia didn't say any more but she eyed the boy for a minute regardless.

At five to five Harry and Alicia both bade the other two good-bye and set off for Umbridge's office on the third floor. Before Harry knocked Alicia took a deep breath, making sure to calm herself and see if she could keep her mouth shut during the next god knows how long. When Harry gave her a look she nodded and he knocked, receiving a "Come in," from Umbridge's sugary voice. They entered cautiously, looking around.

The twins had known this office under three of its previous occupants. In the days when Gilderoy Lockhart had lived here it had been plastered in beaming portraits of its owner. When Lupin had occupied it, it was likely you would meet some fascinating Dark creature in a cage or tank if you came to call. In the impostor Moody's days it had been packed with various instruments and artifacts for the detection of wrongdoing and concealment.

Now, however, it looked totally unrecognisable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large technicolor kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. Alicia stared around the office with her mouth open appalled until Professor Umbridge spoke again.

"Good evening, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans." Alicia turned to her, seeing her wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blinded in much too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her. Alicia looked ready to snap at the women again.

"Evening," Harry said stiffly. He nudged Alicia and she glanced at him.

"Good evening." she said, trying to keep her voice light.

"Well, sit down," she said, pointing toward two small tables draped in lace beside which she had drawn up straight-backed chairs. A piece of blank parchment lay on each table, apparently waiting for them.

"Er," said Harry, without moving. "Professor Umbridge? Er — before we start, I-I wanted to ask you a… a favour." Alicia glanced at him.

Her bulging eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes?"

"Well I'm… Alicia and I are on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And we were supposed to be at the tryouts for the new Keeper at five o'clock on Friday and I was — was wondering whether we could skip detention that night and do it — do it another night… instead…"

"Our captain insisted we at least ask you, though it's very unlikely we'd be let out to do something we enjoy." Alicia added lightly

Both knew before Harry had even finished that their request was denied.

"Oh no," said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked as though she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. "Oh no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one's convenience. No, you will come here at five o'clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you are missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I am trying to teach you."

Alicia felt her face grow slightly hotter from her anger and she clenched her teeth together. Apparently they told attention seeking stories? Because they wanted to have all these people whispering at them and pointing and calling them liars.

Alicia grabbed Harry's hand, not just to comfort herself but Harry as well, she could tell he was just as angry at the words as she was.

She was watching them with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as though she knew exactly what Alicia was thinking. Alicia had insult upon insult running through her brain and she pictured a rather few nasty events occurring to the women to try and make herself feel better. Her expression seemed to be testing them, to see if either Alicia or Harry would start shouting again. Alicia squeezed Harry's hand as she nodded to Umbridge and moved to sit at one of the tables quietly. With a massive effort Harry looked away from her and copied suit, dropping his schoolbag beside the straight-backed chair, and sitting down.

"There," said Umbridge sweetly, "we're getting better at controlling our temper already, aren't we? Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me. No, not with your quill," she added, as both Alicia and Harry bent down to open their bags. "You're going to be using some rather special ones of mine. Here you are."

She handed them both, one after the other, long, thin black quills with an unusually sharp point. Alicia looked at the pen with scrutiny.

"I want you to write _'I must not tell lies_ ,' " she told him softly. Alicia took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tried to calm down while Harry replied to the women.

"How many times?" Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.

"Oh, as long as it takes for the message to _sink in_ ," said Umbridge sweetly. "Off you go." Alicia's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the women moved over to her desk and sat down, bending over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking.

Alicia looked back at the quill with dislike, something about it was just… eery.

"You haven't given me any ink," Harry said. And Alicia looked up when realising she was missing some too.

"Oh, you won't need ink," said Professor Umbridge with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice.

The twins shared a look and Alicia turned to the top of her page. She placed the quil to the paper and wrote _I must not tell lies_. Harry did the same, Alicia hearing the scratch of the quill.

Alicia winced suddenly, the words had appeared on the parchment in a shiny red ink but at the same time a pain had shot through Alicia's hand, the one she was writing with. She looked at the back of her hand as, at the same time she wrote, the words were carved into her skin as though with a knife or scalpel.

Alicia watched as the skin healed over almost instantly, but was now slightly redder than it had been before. Alicia glanced at Harry who was looking at Umbridge. Alicia looked from the red words to her hand and her left hand clenched into a fist.

That evil toad!

"Yes?" Umbrage asked Harry as he looked at her.

"Nothing," said Harry quietly.

Alicia wrote the words again beneath the first and the pain went through the back of her hand again, cutting into her skin and causing her to pause at the end of the sentence.

The shining red ink Alicia guessed was not ink, but her own blood, and the message was, according to Umbridge, going to _sink in_ to the back of her hand. She and Harry were to write these words until they were permanently scarred into their skin.

Alicia took a deep breath and she wrote, line after line, biting her lip to keep her from making a noise and wincing at the searing pain. She reminded herself that this was nothing compared to the Cruciatus Curse she'd felt last year, when Voldemort had used the curse on Harry. Compared to that pain, this was nothing and so, she wrote and wrote, ignoring Harry's glances at her to see if she was feeling what he was.

Darkness fell outside Umbridge's window as Alicia felt the women staring at her and Harry, looking for a sign of weakness, tears, pain, agony or any of the above. Alicia was too proud to do so and she assumed, as he continued to write, that Harry was as well. They'd write and write until Umbridge told them to stop, they would not complain.

"Come here," Umbridge said, after what seemed hours. Alicia looked up as Harry stood to his feet. She followed him, her hand stinging painfully.

"Hand," she said.

He extended it. She took it in her own, her thick, stubby fingers covered in a number of ugly old rings. Alicia noticed Harry's hand was red and raw, the skin however healed from the scars. Alicia didn't bother look at her own and handed her hand over when Umbridge asked for it.

"Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet," she said, smiling. "Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go."

Alicia and Harry left her office without a word. The school was quite deserted; it was surely past midnight. They walked slowly up the corridor before Alicia stopped and looked at her hand.

"This is fricken torture and I'm pretty sure she can't do it!" she hissed to Harry as she ran her finger over the sensitive skin. Harry nodded mutely as Alicia pulled her wand out of her pocket and tapped her skin. Alicia looked more angry and frustrated than before as nothing happened.

"Enchanted quill." she grumbled before continuing to walk. "I hate that women."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21:

Alicia had several cups of coffee just in the space of breakfast the next morning, feeling drowsy as she sat at the breakfast table with her head on her hands trying to rest her eyes as much as possible before their classes. Thankfully, she'd finished Snape's essay, finished her drawing of the bowtruckle, didn't have a Vanishing Spell to practice and had started her essay for Binns. Harry on the other hand was a different story. He'd ditched breakfast to write down some dreams for the journal Trelawney wanted and Ron accompanied him, having been, according to Hermione, busy the night before.

"Are you alright Alicia?"

"I'm tired." She replied in a mumble "Didn't get back till after midnight. I bet that bat doesn't sleep." Alicia sighed

"You'll know not to shout at her next time wont you." Hermione believed, Alicia scoffed

"With my temper?" she disagreed.

"You alright Alicia?" the girl looked up to see Anthony standing just behind her

"Oh, I'm just tired." she said "I didn't get to bed until late last night. Umbridge's detention."

"I heard," Anthony nodded looking sympathetic

"You and the rest of the school." Alicia murmured "And it'll continue tonight, and tomorrow, and the rest of the week." she grumbled annoyed

"With all the homework we've been given?" Anthony asked surprised as he took a seat beside her

"Mhmm." Alicia hummed in response as she leaned her head back into her hand and closed her eyes.

"Why did she keep you so long? Did it take a while to do the job she assigned?" Anthony asked

"We wrote lines." Alicia answered

"Lines?"

"And we kept writing until she told us to stop." Alicia had her writing hand under the table. The skin was still a little bit red but was otherwise the pain had diminished by the time she'd woken up. If the words continued to be scratched into her hand however she expected it'd be even bleeding by the end of the week.

"Well I guess lines aren't too bad." Anthony thought. Alicia looked at him before she just nodded. What would it accomplish if she said she was actually having the words she wrote, scratched into her skin? Everyone would just learn not to mess around with Umbridge, or perhaps Dumbledore would find out. Could he do anything about it anyway? After all, he probably didn't have much choice in hiring her, does that mean he couldn't fire her either? Alicia pulled a grimace at the idea.

"Come on, we've got to get to Arithmancy." Hermione reminded Alicia and the girl nodded as she sat up straight.

"I'll see you when I've been given the freedom." Alicia said to Anthony who chuckled slightly but nodded. The black haired girl got up and followed Hermione down the length of the table and into the Entrance hall.

"By the way, what did Professor Umbridge say about Friday?" Hermione wondered, though Alicia knew she knew what reply she was expecting

"What do you think?" Alicia asked with a roll of her eyes.

Hermione said nothing.

They got through Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and Astronomy after Arithmancy but came out with more homework to pile on top of what they already had. Alicia retreated to the library at Lunch with Hermione and finished the transfiguration, Care of Magical Creature and the rest of Binns' essay. She sat at dinner doing the Astronomy homework as Angelina found her and Harry with Ron and Hermione and was still angry at them about not getting Friday off their detention. The girl told them she was not at all impressed by either of their attitudes and that she expected players who wished to remain on the team to put training before their other commitments.

Alicia just hit her forehead to her parchment before her as Harry yelled after the girl.

"I'm in detention!" Harry yelled. "D'you think I'd rather be stuck in a room with that old toad or playing Quidditch?"

"At least it's only lines," said Hermione consolingly, rubbing Alicia's back as Harry sank back onto his bench and looked down at his steak-and-kidney pie "It's not as if it's a dreadful punishment, really…" Alicia looked up as Harry opened his mouth and she kicked him under the table. He looked at her and saw the stern look. Neither had told Ron or Hermione what really happened when they wrote out those lines in Umbridge's office, something Alicia thought Umbridge wanted.

"I can't believe how much homework we've got," said Ron miserably.

"Well, why didn't you do any last night?" Hermione asked him. "Where were you anyway?"

"I was… I fancied a walk," said Ron shiftily.

Alicia rose an eyebrow and glanced at Harry before five clock began to roll around. The two moved off to Umbrage's office and sat through the same ordeal again. The second detention was just as bad as the previous one. The skin on the back of Alicia and Harry's hands became irritated more quickly now, red and inflamed. Alicia expected the point was for the words to be permanently scratched into the back of their hands, and Umbridge would only be satisfied when it was. Neither one said anything to each other or the toad-faced women and neither expressed any pain or discomfort as they sat writing.

Despite being let out after midnight both twins, Harry needed it especially, stayed up in the common room and began to do their overflowing homework. Alicia helped Harry with Snape's Moonstone essay as she finished off her astronomy. Alicia went to bed before Harry did and wished him good luck before she flopped onto her bed and fell asleep.

Alicia's tiredness began to catch up and for once she wished she had her Time Turner from her third year back just so she could catch up on extra sleep. Harry was worse and it seemed even Ron was sleepy, though no one was sure as to why he should be.

By halfway through the third detention the words "I must not tell lies" did not fade from the twins' hands but remained and bled slightly from the scratched words. Alicia had her lip between her teeth as she continued to write while Harry paused. His pause caused Umbridge to look up.

"Ah," she said softly, moving around her desk to examine his hand herself. "Good. That ought to serve as a reminder to you, oughtn't it?" she turned to Alicia and the girl only stopped writing when Umbridge placed her stubby fingers on her wrist to admire the words in her skin. "Yes. You may both leave for tonight."

"Do we still have to come back tomorrow?" said Harry, picking up his schoolbag as Alicia tucked the chair in not saying anything.

"Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge, smiling widely as before. "Yes, I think we can etch the message a little deeper with another evening's work."

They left the room and when they left the corridor which housed Umbrage's office Harry spoke.

"I hate her." he said "I hate her more than Snape." and Alicia looked at him, slightly surprised but at the same time, not at all. "I never thought that would happen."

"Me either." Alicia said as she pulled some tissues from her bag, handing one to Harry and dabbing her bleeding hand. Harry did the same as they climbed the staircase to the seventh floor, the boy muttering under his breath as Alicia just said nothing, but looked up when Harry spoke.

"Ron?"

They had reached the top of the stairs, turned right, and almost walked into Ron, who was lurking behind a statue of Lachlan the Lanky, clutching his broomstick. He gave a great leap of surprise when he saw Harry and Alicia and attempted to hide his new Cleansweep Eleven behind his back.

"What are you doing?"

"Er — nothing. What are _you_ doing?"

Harry frowned at him.

"Come on, you can tell me! What are you hiding here for?"

"I'm — I'm hiding from Fred and George, if you must know," said Ron. "They just went past with a bunch of first years, I bet they're testing stuff on them again, I mean, they can't do it in the common room now, can they, not with Hermione there."

He was talking in a very fast, feverish way.

Alicia looked at the broom in Ron's hand and her curious expression turned into a grin.

"But what have you got your broom for, you haven't been flying, have you?" Harry asked.

"I — well — well, okay, I'll tell you, but don't laugh, all right?" Ron said defensively, turning redder with every second. "I-I thought…"

"You'd try out for Gryffindor keeper!" Alicia grinned and Ron blinked at her before turning red and removing his gaze from them. Harry looked at Alicia and grinned with her as Ron continued to speak.

"Well yeah, now I've got a decent broom. There. Go on. Laugh."

"I'm not laughing," said Harry. Ron blinked. "It's a brilliant idea! It'd be really cool if you got on the team!"

"This is so exciting!" Alicia thought looking at Harry who nodded before turning back to Ron

"I've never seen you play Keeper, are you good?" Harry asked

"I'm not bad," said Ron, who looked immensely relieved at Harry's reaction. "Charlie, Fred, and George always made me Keep for them when they were training during the holidays."

"So you've been practicing tonight?"

"Every evening since Tuesday…"

"That explains why you're tired." Alicia nodded and Ron mimicked her

"Just on my own, though, I've been trying to bewitch Quaffles to fly at me, but it hasn't been easy and I don't know how much use it'll be." Ron looked nervous and anxious. "Fred and George are going to laugh themselves stupid when I turn up for the tryouts. They haven't stopped taking the mickey out of me since I got made a prefect."

"You just need someone to practice with." Alicia smiled before she frowned annoyed "I'd love to help out if not for Umbridge." she snarled

"I wish I was going to be there," said Harry bitterly, as they all set off together toward the common room.

"Yeah, so do — Harry, what's that on the back of your hand?"

Harry, who had just scratched his nose with his free right hand, tried to hide it, but had as much success as Ron with his Cleansweep.

"It's just a cut — it's nothing — it's —"

"Alicia?" Ron said as she had the tissue wrapped around hers. Alicia tucked it underneath her robes as Ron grabbed Harry's forearm and pulled the back of Harry's hand up level with his eyes. There was a pause, during which he stared at the words carved into the skin, then he released Harry, looking sick.

"I thought you said she was giving you lines?"

"She is." Alicia said as she removed the tissue to see if the bleeding had stopped "But we're using these 'special quills' as she calls them." Alicia explained as Harry hesitated

"They use your own blood to write in and scratch the words into the back of your hand. She wants us to keep writing until the message 'sinks in'." Alicia said looking angry "After three nights, the words don't seem to want to disappear." she said looking at her hand.

"The old hag!" Ron said in a revolted whisper as they came to a halt in front of the Fat Lady, who was dozing peacefully with her head against her frame. "She's sick! Go to McGonagall, say something!"

"No," said Harry at once. "I'm not giving her the satisfaction of knowing she's got to me."

"Personally though Harry, I think she's glad we're not telling anyone." Alicia admitted

" _Got to you_? You can't let her get away with this!"

"I don't know how much power McGonagall's got over her," said Harry.

"Dumbledore, then, tell Dumbledore!"

"No," said Harry flatly.

"Why not?"

"He's got enough on his mind," said Harry. Alicia rolled her eyes at Harry's excuse, he just didn't want to bother the headmaster after he'd ignored him.

"Well, I reckon you should —" Ron began, but he was interrupted by the Fat Lady, who had been watching them sleepily and now burst out, "Are you going to give me the password or will I have to stay awake all night waiting for you to finish your conversation?"

None of the three spoke about Umbridge's torture of the twins and they definitely did not tell Hermione.

When Friday morning dawned Alicia stared out her window and reminded herself that today was the last day. She wouldn't have to knock on that door again after tonight and her hand would heal over in a few short days… maybe more if she decided to go to Madam Pomfrey, if the matron could heal the wound, after all, all the healing spells Alicia knew off were ineffective.

 _Then again if you healed it, you'd have to do more…_ she reminded herself.

Alicia got up, got dressed and, glancing at how bad the back of her hand was, moved for the door. She was slightly avoiding Hermione, knowing the girl well enough for her to realise her hand if she saw it. Harry and Ron agreed with her that the girl would freak out, and tell them to dob the toad women in as a result. Alicia didn't believe this would be very effective.

The girl moved down for her breakfast, she had more homework piled upon her but with the weekend she wasn't very much worried and decided she needed to just sit and give herself the day, especially with the pain she knew she'd be too stubborn to show that evening.

"Morning Alicia." Alicia looked up to see Ginny sitting down beside her

"Morning." Alicia replied

"What's wrong?"

"Umbridge's detention. She keeps me till stupid hours in the night." Alicia confessed

"I thought she was just making you do lines?" Ginny said and Alicia unconsciously pulled her sleeve over her hand.

"Yeah but she keeps me writing for hours." Alicia rolled her eyes "I'm not going to have any free time this weekend, I'm going to be too busy catching up on homework." Alicia confessed "Ginny, take the extra time you have and look at extra books, get you ahead and give you less to do next year." Alicia advised, causing the girl to chuckle

"You realise we're only one week in?" she asked. Alicia groaned and put her head to the table

"And I dread to think how much worse it's going to get."

"I thought you liked school?"

"I'm good at school, there's a difference." Alicia sighed "But I don't want to spend every minute of my time on it."

"Well, you write a list of things for me to look up and I'll do so." Ginny agreed. Alicia smirked at her before they were joined by Michael and Terry.

"Morning."

"Morning." Ginny smiled at Michael and the two fell into a conversation as Alicia just went and ate through her breakfast. Michael and Terry got up to join Anthony on the Ravenclaw table of who waved at Alicia. She waved back happily before Ron and Harry sat down with Hermione.

"You're up early?" Harry thought

"Yeah, well the sooner we start the day, the sooner it'll end." Alicia believed and Harry nodded agreeing. Today also seemed as sullen and sodden a day as the rest of the week had been.

"To be honest I'll be glad when this whole week is behind me." Alicia confessed "I don't think I've ever wanted to be back at the orphanage as much before." she grumbled and everyone looked surprised

"Yeah that's how much I hate Umbridge." she nodded.

"It's only one more detention." Hermione said "You're making an awful amount of fuss about this." the boys shared a look, Ron glancing at Harry's hand, which he too hid as Alicia had done.

"Yeah well if you had to spend hours on end in that toad's presence every night you'd feel that way too." Alicia continued before taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

"Come on, let's get these lessons over with." she decided as she got to her feet and the three followed her from the Great Hall.

Alicia spent the day wishing for tomorrow, knowing that Quidditch practice would start afterwards, what with the keeper being picked. It also meant that her year can really start, deciding that this first week did not count.

"Well, we have a view of the Quidditch pitch from Umbridge's office." Harry remembered

"Yeah but…"

"We might be able to even see Ron's tryouts." Harry continued

"Be better if we were there." Alicia sighed "To be honest I'd rather just write the lines till my hand bleeds and hope to get out by the time Ron get's his shot." she said

"Well nothing can brighten your spirits can it?" Harry mumbled. Alicia sighed and nodded.

"We're missing tryouts and all the homework probably going to take up a large amount of my weekend." she said "Sorry." Harry didn't say much more, Alicia assumed it was because he wasn't really feeling much different.

At five o'clock that evening Alicia and Harry knocked on Professor Umbridge's office door and were told to enter and did so. The blank parchment lay ready for the two on the lace-covered tables, the pointed black quills beside them.

Alicia glanced at at the women before she moved to her table.

"You know what to do, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge, smiling sweetly over at Harry as Alicia took her seat. The girl picked up her quill while Harry took his seat and did the same. Alicia looked at Harry as he glanced through the window and she saw him move his seat ever so slightly, to see through the window. She assumed he had a good view of the Quidditch pitch.

Alicia left the boy to his dreaming and looked at her piece of parchment. She took a breath and wrote the first line.

 _I must not tell lies._ The cut on the back of Alicia's hand opened up. Alicia glanced at it as a beed of fresh blood oozed out. Alicia grabbed a tissue from her pocket and she wrapped it around her hand before she continued to write. Ignoring as her tissue turned red and writing the line again and again.

Easily the girl could see Harry's hand bleeding as well from the corner of her eye, his blood dripping all over the parchment with his lines. The piece of tissue got so red and damp that Alicia discarded it, the thing doing nothing after long.

Alicia wrote, ignoring the searing pain in the back of her hand and the blood now covering it, hiding the words that were carved into it.

They wrote until it became dark outside and Harry's glances at the Quidditch Pitch became scarce as the darkness made it unable to see past the glass. Alicia gave him a glance and he subtly shook his head before they continue to write.

Finally, Umbridge spoke up.

"Let's see if you've gotten the message yet, shall we?" said Umbridge's soft voice half an hour later.

The two looked up as she moved toward Harry, stretching out her short be-ringed fingers for his arm. Alicia watched as suddenly, a pain worse than that in her hand went through her neck, causing her to reach for it and she ground her teeth to repress the pain filled hiss that threatened to break through her teeth. At the same time, Harry suddenly wrenched his arm out of Umbridge's grip, leaping to his feet and staring at the women.

Alicia looked at Harry surprised as his eyes had winced suddenly. The pain in her neck vanished and only her hand was throbbing afterwards.

Umbridge looked at Harry with a smile stretching over her wide, slack mouth. She looked at Alicia who had her sore hand in her other, rubbing her thumb over the skin below the words, not wanting to touch the wound.

"Yes, it hurts, doesn't it?" she said softly.

Neither one answered but Alicia released her hand.

"Well, I think I've made my point, Miss. Evans, Mr. Potter. You may go."

Alicia grabbed her school bag and Harry's good hand as he caught his own schoolbag and the two left the room as quickly as possible.

"Alicia, my scar." Harry said as he touched it on his forehead.

"Yeah." Alicia mumbled as she looked at her hand "Yeah I felt it too." she mumbled

"But… Umbridge isn't possessed be Voldemort? After all the last time it was that bad was with…"

"Quirrell." Alicia remembered "Well, I don't know if Umbridge is possessed by Voldemort, it's very unlikely seeing as he's now got a body of his own. He possessed Quirrell before because he was less than human, less than spirit." Alicia remembered "Besides I'm pretty sure Umbridge is like this as a person. With a crap personality."

"She's evil." Harry believed

"Yeah, and that's without the need of influence from Voldemort." Alicia said as they paused in the corridor. Alicia pulled her wand out and with a wince she waved it over her hand and water poured out over her skin. The girl hissed and winced as the blood was washed from her wrist and hand and the words were shining red and flaming on her skin. Harry watched as she grabbed some bandages from her bag and began to bandage her hand.

Her frustration began to build as she had trouble wrapping the bandage with only one hand. Harry stopped her as she muttered under her breath angrily and took her hand to do the bandage around it to cover the words.

"Thanks." Alicia mumbled as he pulled the wrapping tight on her hand. "Here, let me get yours."

"It's fine." Harry muttered and began to walk. Alicia scowled and, raising her wand, she caught his wrist and Harry gasped as she sprayed water over his hand as well, washing all the blood off of it and his wrist. Harry stood still when Alicia hit his arm to stop him from moving away as she bandaged his hand.

"We don't need people seeing the words and we don't need it getting infected." Alicia grumbled to the boy.

"You don't think people will notice the bandages?"

"We get into so much trouble I'm sure we can think of a story." Alicia shrugged as she tied the bandage and released him.

"So, shall we have gotten bitten by something? Or simply received a cut?" she wondered

"We can't have the same thing." Harry believed

"We can because we're always together and in the same amounts of trouble. Another reason we're not prefects remember." she smiled as they continued to walk down the corridor as the Fat Lady's Portrait came into view.

" _Mimbulus mimbletonia_!" she said at the Fat Lady, who swung forward once more.

A roar of sound greeted the twins and they looked surprised as Ron came running toward them, beaming all over his face and slopping butterbeer down his front from the goblet he was clutching.

"Harry, I did it, I'm in, I'm Keeper!"

"You what!?" Alicia beamed excitedly, and Harry looked at her, surprised she could just push all her pain and worries down. Did their scars hurting not worry her at all? And ignoring the pain in her hand as Harry knew it would be throbbing as his was, perhaps even stinging still from the clean she gave them.

"What? Oh — brilliant!" said Harry managed to say as he tried to smile naturally, while his heart continued to race and his hand throbbed and bled under the bandage.

"Little Ronnie, keeper!" Fred grinned as he appeared and shoved a butterbeer into Alicia's hands.

"Aren't you so proud of your little brother!" she smirked at the twins.

"Have a butterbeer." Ron pressed a bottle onto Harry. "I can't believe it — where's Hermione gone?"

"She's there," said Fred, who was also swigging butterbeer, and pointed to an armchair by the fire. Hermione was dozing in it, her drink tipping precariously in her hand.

"Well, she said she was pleased when I told her," said Ron, looking slightly put out.

"She'll be very proud of you Ron, just watch." Alicia assured

"Let her sleep," said George hastily.

"Wow, aren't you compassionate…" Alicia said with a raised eyebrow as she looked around and noticed that several of the first years gathered around them bore unmistakable signs of recent nosebleeds. "Or are you just trying to save your own hides?" the twins grinned but said nothing. "Come here, Ron, and see if Oliver's old robes fit you," called Katie Bell. "We can take off his name and put yours on instead…"

As Ron moved away, Angelina came striding up to Harry and Alicia.

"It went well then." Alicia smiled

"Well, as it could do." Angelina smiled before she cleared her throat "Look, sorry I was a bit short with you earlier, Potter," she said abruptly. "It's stressful, this managing lark, you know, I'm starting to think I was a bit hard on Wood sometimes." She was watching Ron over the rim of her goblet with a slight frown on her face.

"I'm sure he'd understand." Alicia said to the girl and Angelina nodded.

"Look, I know he's your best mate, but he's not fabulous," she said bluntly to Harry. "I think with a bit of training he'll be all right, though. He comes from a family of good Quidditch players. I'm banking on him turning out to have a bit more talent than he showed today, to be honest. Vicky Frobisher and Geoffrey Hooper both flew better this evening, but Hooper's a real whiner, he's always moaning about something or other, and Vicky's involved in all sorts of societies, she admitted herself that if training clashed with her Charm Club she'd put Charms first. Anyway, we're having a practice session at two o'clock tomorrow, so just make sure you're there this time. And do me a favour and help Ron as much as you can, okay?"

"Hey if he can stop one of my goals he'll be alright." Alicia said looking at Harry who nodded "I'll help him." she assured and Angelina smiled at her before strolling away from them.

Harry moved over to Hermione as Alicia joined the twins to ask them about the tryouts, getting details as to how everyone went. She couldn't help but both chuckle and scold the two as they insulted their brother.

"And guys, I know you need to get your Snack boxes' done and all but can we downplay the amount of times you test them on the first years." Alicia said "At least do it less often. I mean we're one week in and you've done it how many times?" she asked earning a grin from the twins. "You've got a year remember. Plus it'd be a lot more fun if you slipped them off to the Slytherins."

"Hey not a bad idea Potter." Fred grinned

"Well no one but the Slytherins will complain to that and if you do it right, they can't pin it on anyone." Alicia smirked. The girl turned and moved over to Hermione and Harry, the girl of which had woken up from her doze.

"…I want to make some more hats tomorrow. Listen, you can help me if you like, it's quite fun, I'm getting better, I can do patterns and bobbles and all sorts of things now." Hermione said as Alicia approached. Hermione's face was shining with glee at the idea of knitting with Harry and as Alicia looked around the common room she began to notice all the hats stuffed into corners and devices for the house elves to find.

"Er… no, I don't think I will, thanks," Harry said, trying and failing to sound disappointed at his words. "Er — not tomorrow. I've got loads of homework to do…" And he traipsed off to the boys' stairs, leaving Hermione to look slightly disappointed behind him.

"Well, at least someone's got their heads on straight." Alicia said looking at Hermione who scowled

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hermione I can understand that some house elves are mistreated and need to be freed for their own wellbeing like Dobby was, but what on earth could the house elves hate about living here at Hogwarts? Dumbledore's fair and willing to give them what ever they want, even wages like Dobby. So why would they want to leave? You're forcing them into accepting something that leaves them homeless and unhappy." Alicia said

"They're unhappy now!" Hermione snapped

"Not from where I sit." Alicia disagreed as she sighed and turned for the staircase.

"It's for their own good." Hermione said as she followed Alicia

"No, it's not." Alicia disagreed

"Well they seem to disagree or they wouldn't be taking the hats."

"Considering you're hiding them they don't get that choice now do they?" Alicia said. "At least put them out in the open for them to make the choice themselves instead of forcing it upon them."

Alicia opened the door to the dormitory and walked in with Hermione scowling behind her. Alicia moved over to her bed and turned to see Hermione draw her curtains closed. Alicia simply rolled her eyes as she changed her robes for her pyjama's and climbed into bed herself. She glanced at her bandaged hand and a slight red tinge was beginning to bleed through from underneath.

 _I suppose I'll have to change them tomorrow._ she thought to herself as she lied down.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22:

Alicia re-bandaged her hand the next morning. Despite being a little sleep deprived she'd awoken after the sun but before all of her dorm mates. She dressed quietly and moved down to the common room, finding that the hats Hermione had hidden were all gone as well as the rubbish she had hidden them under.

A few people were yawning in the common room, either already had breakfast or being a person who didn't eat very early in the morning. Alicia moved off down to the great Hall but came to a stop when she saw Cho.

"Good morning." Alicia smiled

"Morning Alicia, looking forward to Quidditch practice?" Cho smiled

"Am I ever." Alicia moaned and Cho chuckled

"Hey, Harry's not ordering Dungbombs is he?" Alicia blinked in confusion

"No? It's the Weasley twins that'd do that?" she said "Why?"

"Filch just ran into the Owlery blaming Harry for sending a large order of them."

"Filch did?" Alicia said the confusion only growing "Wait…" Alicia said before Cho could speak again "Harry was in the Owlery?" she asked and Cho nodded again.

"I forgot it's my mother's birthday today and went up to send her a parcel to find him there." she blushed slightly. Alicia smiled

"Well, it is best to send owls early before people can ask questions or steal all the good owls." Alicia believed and Cho nodded

"Well, I'll see you Alicia." and she waved before moving on.

Alicia turned for the corridor her expression set.

 _The owlery huh._ she thought. The only reason for Harry to send a letter would be to Sirius and the only reason to do that would be if Harry was worried about something.

 _Yeah, his scar hurt last night._

"Sending messages when Moody said not to." Alicia grumbled as she moved off towards the Great Hall.

Alicia sat down for her breakfast, pulling a cup of pumpkin juice towards her and moving to find some porridge.

"Morning." Alicia looked up to see Harry sitting down at the table. He was grinning and looked rather pleased about something.

"Morning." Alicia said slowly with a sly grin.

"What?" Harry asked

"You're the one grinning like a mad man." Alicia smirked

"We're playing Quidditch."

"Yeah I know, I'm stoked about it." Alicia nodded as she put some porridge in her mouth.

"Well, so am I."

"Soo… you're mood doesn't have anything to do with, say, a familiar raven haired girl…?" Alicia asked slowly and Harry paused in eating his bacon and eggs to look at her surprised. She just looked at him with sly amusement as she ate her porridge.

"You weren't… I didn't see you…" Alicia chuckled

"I wasn't there Harry." she assured

"Then how'd you…?" Harry questioned

"I saw Cho on my way down here." Alicia shrugged "Asked me if you were ordering dungbombs."

"Yeah, for some reason Filch thought I was." Harry said "Something about a tip."

"Bet it was Malfoy." Alicia rolled her eyes "Or someone who doesn't believe you and wants you in more trouble." she shrugged.

They were silent as Harry contemplated that.

"By the way." Alicia started again and this time when Harry looked at her she was giving him a look full of scrutiny. "The Owlery." Alicia began and Harry just watched her "Sending a letter to our dear friend Snuffles? About a little…" Alicia brushed her hand over her scar on her neck.

Harry turned his expression away.

"Harry what did Moody say?" Alicia asked with a sigh.

"I was smart about it. I didn't say anything that'd make sense to an outsider." Harry admitted "I even reread it several times to check that."

Alicia rolled her eyes but said nothing.

"Still," Alicia grinned "Guess it was a good idea as it got you a morning with Cho." she teased and Harry looked very pleased and yet annoyed she taunted him.

"So what did she say?" Alicia asked excitedly

"Nothing." Harry shrugged

"Bull." Alicia disagreed and Harry looked at her with a raised eyebrow "Come on! Tell you're sister everything!" she beamed. Harry blinked and Alicia continued to watch him in anticipation.

"Don't you have you're own relationship to delve into?" he asked and his expression soured slightly as he turned to glance at the Ravenclaw table were Anthony had sat down with Michael.

"You're the one crushing hard on Cho." Alicia said "It's so much more entertaining so come on! Don't deny me the gossip." she said pouting at her brother with her eyes wide. Harry looked at her surprised.

"Have you ever tried doing that on someone?" Harry wondered

"I'm doing it now." Alicia grumbled and she looked at him with expectation.

"Well…" he muttered "She…" Alicia grinned as she looked at him "She… called me… brave." Harry said smiling slightly.

"Aww!" Alicia beamed "What for?"

"Standing up to Umbridge." Harry shrugged as he turned away from his sister, his face somewhat a little more pink than before. Alicia giggled and glanced at the Ravenclaw table all giddily.

"Well today's been a great day and it's still early!" Alicia beamed. Harry smiled in agreement as Hermione and Ron walked into the Great Hall and down the table towards the two.

"Morning," Harry said brightly to Ron and Hermione, as they joined them at the Gryffindor table.

"What are you looking so pleased about?" said Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise.

"Erm… Quidditch later," said Harry happily, pulling a large platter of bacon and eggs toward him. Alicia giggled and Hermione looked at her with a raised eyebrow before the girl put porridge in her mouth to stop her giggles.

"Oh… yeah…" said Ron. He put down the bit of toast he was eating and took a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he said, "Listen… you don't fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to — er — give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit…"

"You mean on the pitch and brooms earlier than usual! Yes!" Alicia beamed after swallowing. "Oh I'm so excited!" she said, and influenced by her emotions her voice rose a few octaves.

"Yeah, okay," said Harry chuckling at his sister's antics

"Look, I don't think you should," said Hermione seriously, "you're both really behind on homework as it —" But she broke off; the morning post was arriving and, as usual, the _Daily Prophet_ was soaring toward her in the beak of a screech owl, which landed perilously close to the sugar bowl and held out a leg; Hermione pushed a Knut into its leather pouch, took the newspaper, and scanned the front page critically as the owl took off again.

"Anything interesting?" said Ron; Harry smiled — he knew Ron was keen to get her off the subject of homework. Alicia chuckled as she looked at Hermione with half expectance, not really expecting anything.

"No," she sighed, "just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married…"

She opened the paper and disappeared behind it. Harry devoted himself to another helping of eggs and bacon; Ron was staring up at the high windows, looking slightly preoccupied and Alicia was glancing at the papers on the other side of Hermione.

"Wait a moment," said Hermione suddenly. "Oh no… Sirius!"

"What's happened?" Alicia and Harry demanded, and he snatched at the paper so violently that it ripped down the middle so that he and Hermione were holding half each. Alicia had Harry's hand in hers as she pulled the paper close, leaning over Harry to read the article.

" _'The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer… blah blah blah… is currently hiding in London!'_ " Hermione read from her half in an anguished whisper.

"Lucius Malfoy, I'll bet anything," said Harry in a low, furious voice. "He did recognise Sirius on the platform…"

"What?" said Ron, looking alarmed. "You didn't say —"

"Shh!" said the other two.

"But Kingsley…" Alicia muttered and looked at Harry before they returned to the paper.

" _… 'Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous… killed thirteen people… broke out of Azkaban…'_ the usual rubbish _,_ " Hermione concluded, laying down her half of the paper and looking fearfully at Harry and Ron. "Well, he just won't be able to leave the house again, that's all," she whispered. "Dumbledore did warn him not to."

"Oh…" Alicia mumbled her excited spirit drowned.

Harry looked down glumly at the bit of the Prophet he had torn off.

"Hey!" he said, flattening it down so Hermione and Ron could both see it. "Look at this!"

"I've got all the robes I want," said Ron.

"No," said Harry, "look… this little piece here…"

Alicia, Ron and Hermione bent closer to read it; the item was barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It was head-lined:

 _TRESPASS AT MINISTRY_

 _Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch-wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o'clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defence, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban."_

Alicia paused.

"Sturgis Podmore?" said Ron slowly, "but he's that bloke who looks like his head's been thatched, isn't he? He's one of the Ord —"

"Ron, _shh_!" said Hermione, casting a terrified look around them.

"Six months in Azkaban!" whispered Harry, shocked. "Just for trying to get through a door!"

"Don't be silly, it wasn't just for trying to get through a door — what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o'clock in the morning?" breathed Hermione.

"D'you reckon he was doing something for the Order?" Ron muttered.

"Yes." Alicia said "Maybe the weapon Sirius said is behind that door, after all I still think it's at the Ministry." she said to them in a low voice.

"Wait a moment…" said Harry slowly. "Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?"

The other two looked at him.

"Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King's Cross, remember? And Moody was all annoyed because he didn't turn up, so that doesn't seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does it?"

"And that wasn't the first time, Moody said it was the second time he hadn't reported in." Alicia remembered

"Well, maybe they didn't expect him to get caught," said Hermione.

"It could be a frame-up!" Ron exclaimed excitedly. "No — listen!" he went on, dropping his voice dramatically at the threatening look on Hermione's face. "The Ministry suspects he's one of Dumbledore's lot so — I dunno — they _lured_ him to the Ministry, and he wasn't trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they've just made something up to get him!"

There was a pause while Harry and Hermione considered this. Harry thought it seemed far-fetched; Hermione, on the other hand, looked rather impressed and said, "Do you know, I wouldn't be at all surprised if that were true."

"Or, maybe it's not one of the Ministry who set him up…" Alicia mumbled "But a Death Eater instead. After all, they're trying to lay low and they can't get what ever they need while we're in the way." Hermione, Harry and Ron all shared a look with the girl.

Hermione folded up her half of the newspaper thoughtfully. When Harry laid down his knife and fork she seemed to come out of a reverie.

"Right, well, I think we should tackle that essay for Sprout on Self-Fertilising Shrubs first, and if we're lucky we'll be able to start McGonagall's Inanimatus Conjurus before lunch…"

"Hermione…" Alicia began carefully with a pout "Can we do it… later?" she asked slowly "Please?" Hermione looked at Alicia confused. "It's just I've been stuck with Umbridge, and it's been a rather sour week and it's such a nice day and…" Alicia said quickly "Hermione I really need to take a breather and Quidditch practice is exactly what I need to wind down. And then I should be able to fly through my homework afterwards." she grinned "Plus Angelina asked Harry and I to help Ron, a confidence boost is exactly what he needs." Ron started nodding after giving Alicia a scowl at her words. "And we're really rusty seeing as we didn't play last year…"

"Alright!" Hermione cut her off and Alicia beamed "I guess I can make more hats while I'm waiting."

"Hermione don't you dare put your homework aside just so you can do it with us." Alicia said. Hermione rolled her eyes before Alicia pulled the girl into a hug.

"Oh Hermione, you're the best!" Alicia beamed

"But don't you dare blame me when you fail your O. !" Hermione scolded "And don't you dare think you can copy off of me because you chose to go and play on your brooms instead of studying."

"I'll stay up all night to finish it if I have to." Alicia assured before turning to the boys. "Come on! Let's go get our brooms!" Her voice rose a little again as she beamed and Harry and Ron grinned before they followed the girl.

"And this is why it's awesome to have you." Ron grinned at her as they met in the common room with their brooms.

"Why?" she asked as they moved off out of the portrait hole.

"Because you can convince Hermione to let us do fun things instead of homework!" Ron grinned and Alicia chuckled

"Well I do need some down time." Alicia nodded "Especially after this week." she glanced at Harry who nodded. "Plus I haven't been on my broom since our third year! I'm not waiting any longer than I need to."

"I'm just glad you're both happy to help me." Ron said

"Hey we need practice too. And seeing as I'm a chaser, I am you're perfect training buddy." Alicia grinned nudging him.

"But we do have to do our homework." Harry said

"I mean, we can do it tonight," said Ron, as they walked down the sloping lawns toward the Quidditch pitch, their broomsticks over their shoulders. "And we've got tomorrow. She gets too worked up about work, that's her trouble…" There was a pause and he added, in a slightly more anxious tone, "D'you think she meant it when she said we weren't copying from her?"

"Yeah, I do," said Harry. "Still, this is important too, we've got to practice if we want to stay on the Quidditch team…"

"Yeah, that's right," said Ron in a heartened tone. "And we have got plenty of time to do it all…"

"As long as you remember you can't do anything else tomorrow but the homework." Alicia said with a grin. The boys shared a look but Alicia was in too a good mood to worry about it. She was first into the changing rooms where they got the balls out and Alicia took the Quaffle before getting onto her broom and launching off. She zipped all around the pitch laughing before Harry appeared and she dropped the Quaffle in surprise. Harry dove for it as Ron moved to the goal posts and Alicia launched after him.

The girl dove under the ball and grabbed it from between Harry's hands before she zoomed for the goals.

The twins were rather impressed with their friend's capabilities. He blocked three quarters of Harry's goals and got better as they played, managing to stop more of Alicia's as time went by.

The three returned to the Great Hall for lunch where Hermione was waiting for them. The girl scolded the three, making it quite clear that she thought they were irresponsible, then returned to the Quidditch pitch for the real training session. All their teammates but Angelina were already in the changing room when they entered.

"All right, Ron?" said George, winking at him.

"Yeah," said Ron, who had become quieter and quieter all the way down to the pitch.

"Ready to show us all up, Ickle Prefect?" said Fred, emerging tousle-haired from the neck of his Quidditch robes, a slightly malicious grin on his face.

"Shut up," said Ron, stony-faced, pulling on his own team robes for the first time. They fitted him well considering they had been Oliver Wood's, who was rather broader in the shoulder.

"Fred, George, stop." Alicia snapped at them "We need the confidence not the downplay." she said

"Okay everyone," said Angelina, entering from the Captain's office, already changed. "Let's get to it; Alicia and Fred, if you can just bring the ball crate out for us. Oh, and there are a couple of people out there watching but I want you to just ignore them, all right?"

Alicia looked annoyed as she and Fred collected the balls.

"What's the guess they're the Slytherins?"

"High." Fred nodded

"I don't suppose you have some snack box candies you could just throw at them?" Alicia wondered slyly and Fred grinned at her but shook his head.

"Damn." she grumbled.

They exited the changing room in their robes to the sunlit pitch when the storm of catcalls and jeers from the Slytherin Quidditch team and assorted hangers-on, who were grouped halfway up the empty stands and whose voices echoed loudly around the stadium.

"What's that Weasley's riding?" Malfoy called in his sneering drawl. "Why would anyone put a Flying Charm on a mouldy old log like that?"

Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson guffawed and shrieked with laughter. Ron mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground and Alicia and Harry followed him, watching his ears turn red from behind.

"Ignore them," Harry said, accelerating to catch up with Ron. "We'll see who's laughing after we play them…"

"Yeah, we smash their faces to the ground and they can't say shit." Alicia grinned

"Exactly the attitude I want, Harry, Alicia," said Angelina approvingly, soaring around them with the Quaffle under her arm and slowing to hover on the spot in front of her airborne team. "Okay everyone, we're going to start with some passes just to warm up, the whole team please —"

"Hey, Johnson, what's with that hairstyle anyway?" shrieked Pansy Parkinson from below. "Why would anyone want to look like they've got worms coming out of their head?"

Angelina swept her long braided hair out of her face and said calmly, "Spread out, then, and let's see what we can do…"

The team spread out around the pitch, Ron near his goal posts and Alicia next to George. Angelina raised the Quaffle with one hand and threw it to Fred, who passed to George, who passed to Harry, who passed to Ron, who dropped it.

The Slytherins, led by Malfoy, roared and screamed with laughter. Ron, who had pelted toward the ground to catch the Quaffle before it landed, pulled out of the dive untidily, so that he slipped sideways on his broom, and returned to playing height, blushing. Harry saw Fred and George exchange looks, Alicia shot them both a glare but didn't seem to need to, as uncharacteristically neither of them said anything.

"Pass it on, Ron," called Angelina, as though nothing had happened.

Ron threw the Quaffle to Alicia, who passed back to Harry, who passed to George…

"Hey, Potter, how's your scar feeling?" called Malfoy. "Sure you don't need a lie-down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that's a record for you, isn't it?"

Fred passed to Angelina; she reverse passed to Harry, who had not been expecting it, but caught it in the very tips of his fingers and passed it quickly to Ron, who lunged for it and missed by inches.

"Come on now, Ron," said Angelina crossly, as Ron dived for the ground again, chasing the Quaffle. "Pay attention."

Alicia watched Ron with a frown. It wasn't hard to understand what was happening. With just Alicia and Harry watching Ron could do anything, there was no judgment. But as soon as someone else was added to the mix, his confidence was lost, his mind raced and his focus was gone.

It would have been hard to say whether Ron's face or the Quaffle was a deeper scarlet when he returned again to playing height. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team were howling with laughter.

On his third attempt, Ron caught the Quaffle; perhaps out of relief he passed it on so enthusiastically that it soared straight through Katie's outstretched hands and hit her hard in the face.

"Sorry!" Ron groaned, zooming forward to see whether he had done any damage.

"Get back in position, she's fine!" barked Angelina. "But as you're passing to a teammate, do try not to knock her off her broom, won't you? We've got Bludgers for that!"

Katie's nose was bleeding. Down below the Slytherins were stamping their feet and jeering. Fred and George converged on Katie.

"Fred, fix her nose wont you." Alicia sighed as she pointed to Katie. The boy looked at her.

"Yeah I know you've got some, you dropped one before." she snapped at him, pointing to the ground below them. She glared slightly and Fred smiled guilty at having lied to her but Alicia guessed he didn't want to waste the money they spent on those sweets, even if it was on the Slytherins.

"Here, take this," Fred told her, handing her something small and purple from out of his pocket. "It'll clear it up in no time."

"All right," called Angelina, "Fred, George, go and get your bats and a Bludger; Ron, get up to the goalposts, Harry, release the Snitch when I say so. We're going to aim for Ron's goal, obviously."

Harry zoomed off after the twins to fetch the Snitch. They returned to the air. When Angelina blew her whistle, Harry released the Snitch and Fred and George let fly the Bludger.

Alicia, Katie and Angelina began to move through the pitch moving the Quaffle between them with fast and coordinated moves. Alicia was glad her skills had returned like clockwork despite the year off and was having a right bit of fun as they practiced.

Alicia ducked under Harry who tumbled as he looked for the snitch while Katie caught the Quaffle, Alicia raced forwards to get the next catch in order to pocket the Quaffle through the goal, only to come to a screeching stop when Angelina's whistle suddenly blew.

"Stop — _stop_ – STOP!" screamed Angelina. "Ron — you're not covering your middle post!"

Alicia turned from Angelina to Ron. She'd been so concentrating on the Quaffle and had gotten onto the habit of only putting a quarter of her concentration on the goalie that she hadn't even noticed where Ron was. He was covering the left hand hoop, leaving the other two completely unprotected.

"You keep shifting around while you're watching the Chasers!" said Angelina. "Either stay in centre position until you have to move to defend a hoop, or else circle the hoops, but don't drift vaguely off to one side, that's how you let in the last three goals!"

"Sorry…" Ron repeated, his red face shining like a beacon against the bright blue sky.

"And Katie, can't you do something about that nosebleed?"

"It's just getting worse!" said Katie thickly, attempting to stem the flow with her sleeve. Alicia looked at her before turning to Fred with a glare.

"Fred!" she snapped. He glanced from her with an anxious look on her face to check his pocket. He pulled out something purple and examined it before looking at Katie horrorstruck.

George was looking at Fred too from beside Alicia.

"Please, please, please, tell me you didn't accidentally colour them the wrong colour." Alicia said to George. He looked a little worried himself as he watched Fred.

Alicia groaned as Angelina continued.

"Well, let's try again," said Angelina. She was ignoring the Slytherins, who had now set up a chant of " _Gryffindor are losers, Gryffindor are losers_ ," but there was a certain rigidity about her seat on the broom nevertheless.

This time they had been flying for barely three minutes when Angelina's whistle sounded.

"What now?" Harry said impatiently to Alicia, who was nearest.

"Katie," she said shortly looking both worried and annoyed.

Angelina, Fred, and George all flying as fast as they could toward Katie. Harry and Alicia sped toward her too. It was plain that Angelina had stopped training just in time; Katie was now chalk white and covered in blood.

"She needs the hospital wing," said Angelina.

"We'll take her," said Fred. "She — er — might have swallowed a Blood Blisterpod by mistake —"

"You need to label these!" Alicia snapped "Or actually make sure they're different colours."

"You told me to." Fred muttered

"And since when do you do as you're told!?" Alicia snapped. Fred looked her dead in the face with a peculiar expression.

"Well, there's no point continuing with no Beaters and a Chaser gone," said Angelina glumly, as Fred and George zoomed off toward the castle supporting Katie between them. "Come on, let's go and get changed."

The Slytherins continued to chant as they trailed back into the changing rooms.

Harry and Ron moved from the change rooms first with Alicia in tow before Angelina stopped her.

"Alicia. Ron needs the practice. As a chaser and having a Firebolt, you're a good practicing partner. He needs to be better by our first game…"

"Angelina." Alicia stopped her "There is nothing wrong with Ron's game." Alicia said and Angelina looked ready to argue "The problem is his confidence. Harry and I spent the morning with him, practicing and he only got better. He did a great job." Alicia confessed "Put you guys and the Slytherins in the mix and his nerves just sky rocket."

"Well do something, give him a tonic for the nerves."

"The best thing is to give him more encouragement. Instead of shouting at him what to do in a negative way, try positive reinforcement Angelina. He needs it from his captain and his team just as much as his friends." Angelina looked at her

"You'd make a good captain one day." she thought

"Well, we'll see. Until then, I'll keep working with Ron but you might find his nerves continue to let us down." Alicia sighed before she turned and left the changing room.

Alicia ran to hurry up with Ron and Harry and caught them just before they entered the Entrance Hall.

"What did Angelina want?" Harry asked

"Oh you know, pick up your game, tell off the twins, the usual."

"She told you to help me didn't she." Ron said

"Ron, the only thing you need help with, are your nerves. You get too nervous that you loose your self-confidence and get jumbled up. That's the only thing we need to cure. You're a great keeper if this morning's anything to go by." Alicia said strongly.

"How was practice?" asked Hermione rather coolly as Alicia, Harry and Ron climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.

"It was —" Harry began.

"Completely lousy," said Ron in a hollow voice, sinking into a chair beside Hermione. She looked up at Ron and her frostiness seemed to melt.

"Well, it was only your first one," she said consolingly, "it's bound to take time to —"

"Who said it was me who made it lousy?" snapped Ron.

"No one," said Hermione, looking taken aback, "I thought —"

"You thought I was bound to be rubbish?"

"No, of course I didn't! Look, you said it was lousy so I just —"

"Ron you say it's lousy usually reflects how you feel within yourself." Alicia snapped "But it wasn't lousy." she told Hermione. "Just a few bugs to work out, which is expected after an entire year without playing." Hermione nodded and glanced at Ron, Harry and Alicia doing the same. He looked at them all and around the common room at those with them before he jumped to his feet.

"I'm going to get started on some homework," said Ron angrily and stomped off to the staircase to the boys' dormitories and vanished from sight. Hermione turned to Harry.

"Was he lousy?"

"No," said Harry loyally.

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I suppose he could've played better," Harry muttered, "but it was only the first training session, like you said…"

"There's only one thing wrong and that's Ron's own self confidence. He's actually really good." Alicia nodded. "Now. Homework." she sighed and she got up to go to the dormitory, retrieving her pile and moving back to the common room. Alicia set herself down and absorbed herself into a book to get her brain working properly and help her forget about the training session and remove the Slytherins' chant of _"Gryffindor are losers"_ from her head.

They spent the night working but the two boys couldn't get their head into the game. Alicia got more done that night, ignoring everyone and had time to go down for breakfast and lunch on Sunday.

"Hey Anthony." Alicia sat on the Ravenclaw table beside the boy and he grinned at her, breaking from his conversation with Terry.

"Hey, how'd the Quidditch practice go yesterday?"

"Oh you know, Slytherins turned up and decided to ruin Ron's confidence." Alicia sighed

"He that bad?"

"He's actually rather good. Just, his nerves get in the way." Alicia admitted as she grabbed herself some pork.

"So what happened to all that homework?" Anthony wondered "Few days ago you were buried under it."

"I wasn't buried, I was drowning." Alicia said "Difference." Anthony chuckled "I got quite a bit done yesterday, at least enough to actually take a break unlike my brother and his red haired friend." Alicia shrugged

"They stuck in the common room?" he asked

"Course they are." Alicia sighed "And they'll be there until Monday morning if Hermione doesn't read their essays over and correct them for them."

"Granger does that?"

"She feels bad for them. She also hates to see all the mistakes they've made." Alicia admitted "But she'll never just give them the answers, much to their disappointment." Anthony had begun to look disappointed as Alicia spoke but it turned to surprise. "Hermione really would have done well in Ravenclaw." she smiled before taking a bite of the sandwich she'd made.

"It sounds like it. And she is the top in the school…" Anthony muttered

"I'll ignore that." Alicia decided as she took another bite. Anthony chuckled.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23:

Alicia walked into the common room with a plate of sandwiches in her hands. She cleared an area on the table the two boys were working at and put the plate down much to their surprise.

"Can't work on empty stomachs so I brought sustenance." she smiled

"Oh Alicia you're a lifesaver!" Ron gasped as he took three sandwiches and bit into them all at once.

"Well if you shovel them down your throat I wont be doing it again." she warned giving him a disapproving look and Ron paused before swallowing and taking a step back, eating them with more dignity.

"How are we doing?" she asked

"Terrible. We'll be here all night." Ron grumbled

"Well what have you finished, I'll read them for you." Alicia allowed and Ron brightened again.

"You really are a lifesaver."

"Well as you put the effort into them someone should probably give you a gold star." Alicia said glancing at Hermione who was with Ginny, Crookshanks in her lap as usual.

"We finished McGonagall's essays." Harry said pointing to them.

"Cool." Alicia said picking up Ron's first. She sat back with her wand in her hand and began to read through it. The two watched her for a minute as she tapped the paper and the words in ink changed for the correct information. She paused when she noticed their eyes on her.

"Well keep going. I wont read them for you until you've completely finished them too. And I still have a thing or two to finish myself so…" the boys turned to the table and continued with their essays. Alicia smiled proudly and continued to read.

Alicia rolled up the two essays and gave them back to the boys when she'd finished reading them. After that she sat down to write her Astronomy essay with the two boys, catching up to their word length rather quickly as she shuffled through books and wrote down her facts, rereading to make sure the information flowed.

The sky outside turned from what might be the last day of blazing sunshine for the year, to the dark clear night. Alicia conjured up some nibbles for them at the dinner time mark, summoning them from the kitchens downstairs, to keep their energies up as none of them were willing to risk going down to the Great Hall for dinner.

Alicia finished her essay not long after with a grin and read through it all, changing and fixing her mistakes before she set her last piece down with a happy sigh.

"How can you be finished? We started before you did and I'm not even close to finished." Ron complained

"Well it might be that I hold information better than you do." Alicia shrugged "I retain majority of what I hear." she smiled "Plus I read so I have extra info to add. Keep going and I'll read them."

"Can't you read it now?"

"Nope, you need to learn you can't leave so much to the last minute, not cut corners." Alicia said stubbornly and the boys looked at her disappointed.

"You're sounding like Hermione." Ron grumbled

"Well in our fifth year, with our O. and all it's probably about time. I mean if this is the work load after the first week imagine what'll it'll be like closer to the exams?" Alicia asked "We need to get you two cracking now before you die under all the pressure."

"I think that's a little extreme, Alicia." Harry said

"We need to be extreme by the sounds of it." Alicia muttered.

The girl sat with them as the sky grew ever darker and at half past eleven, Hermione wandered over to them, yawning.

"Nearly done?"

"No," said Ron shortly.

"Jupiter's biggest moon is Ganymede, not Callisto," she said, pointing over Ron's shoulder at a line in his Astronomy essay, "and it's Io that's got the volcanos."

"Thanks," snarled Ron, scratching out the offending sentences.

"Sorry, I only —"

"Yeah, well, if you've just come over here to criticise —"

"Ron —"

"I haven't got time to listen to a sermon, all right, Hermione, I'm up to my neck in it here —"

"No — look!"

Hermione was pointing to the nearest window. Alicia, Harry and Ron both looked over. A handsome screech owl was standing on the windowsill, gazing into the room at Ron.

"Isn't that Hermes?" said Hermione, sounding amazed.

"It can't be." Alicia thought confused but even she could tell it was the fifth Weasley brother's owl.

"Blimey, it is!" said Ron quietly, throwing down his quill and getting to his feet. "What's Percy writing to me for?"

He crossed to the window and opened it; Hermes flew inside, landed upon Ron's essay, and held out a leg to which a letter was attached. Ron took it off and the owl departed at once, leaving inky footprints across Ron's drawing of the moon Io.

"That's definitely Percy's handwriting," said Ron, sinking back into his chair and staring at the words on the outside of the scroll: To Ronald Weasley, Gryffindor House, Hogwarts. He looked up at the other two. "What d'you reckon?"

"Open it!" said Hermione eagerly. Harry nodded. Alicia looked hesitant. She didn't believe this'd be anything good unless Percy had realised the error of his ways… which she didn't think likely.

Ron unrolled the scroll and began to read. The farther down the parchment his eyes traveled, the more pronounced his scowl became. When he had finished reading, he looked disgusted. He thrust the letter at Harry, Alicia and Hermione, who leaned toward one another to read it together:

 _Dear Ron,_

 _I have only just heard (from no less a person than the Minister of Magic himself, who has it from your new teacher, Professor Umbridge) that you have become a Hogwarts prefect._

 _I was most pleasantly surprised when I heard this news and must firstly offer my congratulations. I must admit that I have always been afraid that you would take what we might call the "Fred and George" route, rather than following in my footsteps, so you can imagine my feelings on hearing you have stopped flouting authority and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility._

 _But I want to give you more than congratulations, Ron, I want to give you some advice, which is why I am sending this at night rather than by the usual morning post. Hopefully you will be able to read this away from prying eyes and avoid awkward questions._

 _From something the Minister let slip when telling me you are now a prefect, I gather that you are still seeing a lot of Harry Potter. I must tell you, Ron, that nothing could put you in danger of losing your badge more than continued fraternisation with that boy. Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear this — no doubt you will say that Potter has always been Dumbledore's favourite — but I feel bound to tell you that Dumbledore may not be in charge at Hogwarts much longer and the people who count have a very different — and probably more accurate — view of Potter's behaviour. I shall say no more here, but if you look at the Daily Prophet tomorrow you will get a good idea of the way the wind is blowing — and see if you can spot yours truly!_

 _Seriously, Ron, you do not want to be tarred with the same brush as Potter, it could be very damaging to your future prospects, and I am talking here about life after school too. As you must be aware, given that our father escorted him to court, Potter had a disciplinary hearing this summer in front of the whole Wizengamot and he did not come out of it looking too good. He got off on a mere technicality if you ask me and many of the people I've spoken to remain convinced of his guilt._

 _It may be that you are afraid to sever ties with Potter — I know that he can be unbalanced and, for all I know, violent — but if you have any worries about this, or have spotted anything else in Potter's behaviour that is troubling you, I urge you to speak to Dolores Umbridge, a really delightful woman, who I know will be only too happy to advise you._

 _This leads me to my other bit of advice. As I have hinted above, Dumbledore's regime at Hogwarts may soon be over. Your loyalty, Ron, should be not to him, but to the school and the Ministry. I am very sorry to hear that so far Professor Umbridge is encountering very little cooperation from staff as she strives to make those necessary changes within Hogwarts that the Ministry so ardently desires (although she should find this easier from next week — again, see the Prophet tomorrow!). I shall say only this — a student who shows himself willing to help Professor Umbridge now may be very well placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years!_

 _I am sorry that I was unable to see more of you over the summer. It pains me to criticise our parents, but I am afraid I can no longer live under their roof while they remain mixed up with the dangerous crowd around Dumbledore (if you are writing to Mother at any point, you might tell her that a certain Sturgis Podmore, who is a great friend of Dumbledore's, has recently been sent to Azkaban for trespass at the Ministry. Perhaps that will open their eyes to the kind of petty criminals with whom they are currently rubbing shoulders). I count myself very lucky to have escaped the stigma of association with such people — the Minister really could not be more gracious to me — and I do hope, Ron, that you will not allow family ties to blind you to the misguided nature of our parents' beliefs and actions either. I sincerely hope that, in time, they will realise how mistaken they were and I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology when that day comes._

 _Please think over what I have said most carefully, particularly the bit about Harry Potter, and congratulations again on becoming prefect._

 _Your brother,_

 _Percy._

Harry looked up at Ron.

"Well," he said, trying to sound as though he found the whole thing a joke, "if you want to — er — what is it?" (He checked Percy's letter.) "Oh yeah — 'sever ties' with me, I swear I won't get violent."

"He didn't even mention me." Alicia said "You know what, I'm actually offended by that." she decided annoyed.

"Give it back," said Ron, holding out his hand. "He is —" Ron said jerkily, tearing Percy's letter in half, "the world's" — he tore it into quarters — "biggest" — he tore it into eighths — "git." He threw the pieces into the fire. "Come on, we've got to get this finished some time before dawn," he said briskly to Harry, pulling Professor Sinistra's essay back toward him.

"Hopefully before even then, you can't function on no sleep." Alicia believed.

Hermione was looking at Ron with an odd expression on her face. She looked at Alicia who looked worried, shrugging.

"Oh, give them here," she said abruptly.

"What?" said Ron.

"Give them to me, I'll look through them and correct them," she said.

"Are you serious? Ah, Hermione, you're a lifesaver," said Ron, "what can I — ?"

"What you can say is, 'We promise we'll never leave our homework this late again,' " she said, holding out both hands for their essays, but she looked slightly amused all the same.

"Thanks a million, Hermione," said Harry weakly, passing over his essay and sinking back into his armchair, rubbing his eyes.

"Want me to read one to get it done quicker?" Alicia asked as she yawned. Hermione quickly gave her Harry's essay and Alicia rolled her eyes, clearly the bushy haired girl wanted it done as well.

It was now past midnight and the common room was deserted but for the four of them and Crookshanks. The only sound was that of Hermione's quill scratching out sentences here and there on their essays and the ruffle of pages as she checked various facts in the reference books strewn across the table. Alicia was sitting twirling her wand between her fingers occasionally tapping it to remove a word and replace it with another, glancing through the books with Hermione and occasionally the two asking one another about something.

"Okay, write that down," Hermione said to Ron, pushing his essay and a sheet covered in her own writing back to Ron, "and then copy out this conclusion that I've written for you."

"Hermione, you are honestly the most wonderful person I've ever met," said Ron weakly, "and if I'm ever rude to you again —"

"— I'll know you're back to normal," said Hermione.

"Harry, yours is okay except for this bit at the end, I think you must have misheard Professor Sinistra, Europa's covered in ice, not mice — Harry?" Alicia said to the boy but paused in confusion as Harry had slid off his chair onto his knees and was now crouching on the singed and threadbare hearthrug, gazing into the flames.

"Er — Harry?" said Ron uncertainly. "Why are you down there?"

"Because I've just seen Sirius's head in the fire," said Harry.

"You what?" Alicia asked confused looking up from Harry's essay "I don't remember him telling us he was going to contact us?" she thought.

"Sirius's head?" Hermione repeated. "You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn't do that now, it would be too — _Sirius_!" She gasped, gazing at the fire; Ron dropped his quill and Alicia stared at the man before crawling over to the fire, her mouth open. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius's head, long dark hair falling around his grinning face.

"I was starting to think you'd go to bed before everyone else had disappeared," he said. "I've been checking every hour."

"You what?" Alicia said again "What is wrong with you?" she demanded of him angrily

"You've been popping into the fire every hour?" Harry said, half laughing. Alicia hit his shoulder.

"Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear yet."

"But what if you'd been seen?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Well, I think a girl — first year by the look of her — might've got a glimpse of me earlier, but don't worry," Sirius said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. "I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I'll bet she just thought I was an oddly shaped log or something."

"But Sirius, this is taking an awful risk —" Hermione began.

"You sound like Molly," said Sirius. "This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry's letter without resorting to a code — and codes are breakable."

"So you did put important information in there." Alicia snapped at him "Harry—"

"It was rather well written actually." Sirius believed "Good job on that by the way." he said to Harry and he smiled as Alicia rolled her eyes

"And after the Ministry knows your back as well!" she hissed

"You didn't say you'd written to Sirius!" said Hermione accusingly, stopping Alicia's scolds.

"I forgot," said Harry

"Alicia knew?" Hermione pointed to her. Alicia looked at the girl

"Yeah…" Alicia said "But that's cause I…" she looked at Harry who was giving her a hard yet pleading look. Clearly he didn't want her to tell the real reason "Saw him coming down from the Owlery." she decided and Harry nodded "And then we saw Sirius' name in the Prophet." she said giving Sirius a glare.

"Don't look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?" Harry said, looking at the girl to catch her expression.

"No, it was very good," said Sirius, smiling. "Anyway, we'd better be quick, just in case we're disturbed — your scar."

"What about — ?" Ron began, but Hermione said quickly, "We'll tell you afterward, go on, Sirius."

"Alicia, did you feel it too?" he asked her and she nodded

"But I don't think it was as bad…" she looked at Harry but he did nothing to answer the query.

"Well, I know it can't be fun when it hurts, but we don't think it's anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion," said Harry, ignoring, as usual, Ron and Hermione's winces. "So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention."

"Well, now he's back it's bound to hurt more often," said Sirius.

"So you don't think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?" Harry asked.

"I doubt it," said Sirius. "I know her by reputation and I'm sure she's no Death Eater —"

"She's foul enough to be one," said Harry darkly and Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement as Alicia looked at her bandaged hand for a second.

"Yes, but the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters," said Sirius with a wry smile. "I know she's a nasty piece of work, though — you should hear Remus talk about her."

"Does Lupin know her?" asked Harry quickly, remembering Umbridge's comments about dangerous half-breeds during her first lesson.

"No," said Sirius, "but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job."

Harry remembered how much shabbier Lupin looked these days and his dislike of Umbridge deepened even further.

"What's she got against werewolves?" said Hermione angrily.

"I don't think it's werewolves. Remember what she said; 'extremely dangerous half-breeds'." Alicia quoted and she looked at Sirius who nodded.

"Scared of them, I expect," said Sirius, smiling at her indignation. "Apparently she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have mer-people rounded up and tagged last year too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose —"

Ron laughed but Hermione looked upset.

"Sirius!" she said reproachfully. "Honestly, if you made a bit of an effort with Kreacher I'm sure he'd respond, after all, you are the only member of his family he's got left, and Professor Dumbledore said —"

"So what are Umbridge's lessons like?" Sirius interrupted. "Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?"

"Ha. That would mean she'd have to actually teach us something." Alicia said scoffing

"No," said Harry, ignoring Hermione's affronted look at being cut off in her defence of Kreacher. "She's not letting us use magic at all!"

"All we do is read the stupid textbook," said Ron.

"Ah, well, that figures," said Sirius. "Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat."

" _Trained in combat_?" repeated both Alicia and Harry incredulously. "What does he think we're doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?" Harry asked

"That's exactly what he thinks you're doing," said Sirius, "or rather, that's exactly what he's afraid Dumbledore's doing — forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic."

There was a pause at this, then Ron said, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with."

"He just keeps getting stupider. You'd think it'd be easier to just believe us." Alicia thought

"So we're being prevented from learning Defence Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we'll use spells against the Ministry?" said Hermione, looking furious.

"Yep," said Sirius. "Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He's getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It's a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge."

"D'you know if there's going to be anything about Dumbledore in the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow? Only Ron's brother Percy reckons there will be —"

"I don't know," said Sirius, "I haven't seen anyone from the Order all weekend, they're all busy. It's just been Kreacher and me here…" There was a definite note of bitterness in Sirius's voice.  
"So you haven't had any news about Hagrid, either?"  
"Ah…" said Sirius, "well, he was supposed to be back by now, no one's sure what's happened to him."

"What?" Alicia asked shocked as the four's expressions turned stricken. Sirius quickly continued.

"But Dumbledore's not worried, so don't you three get yourselves in a state; I'm sure Hagrid's fine."

"But if he was supposed to be back by now…" said Hermione in a small, worried voice.

"Madame Maxime was with him, we've been in touch with her and she says they got separated on the journey home — but there's nothing to suggest he's hurt or — well, nothing to suggest he's not perfectly okay."

Unconvinced, Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged worried looks.

"Listen, don't go asking too many questions about Hagrid," said Sirius hastily, "it'll just draw even more attention to the fact that he's not back, and I know Dumbledore doesn't want that. Hagrid's tough, he'll be okay." And when they did not appear cheered by this, Sirius added, "When's your next Hogsmeade weekend anyway? I was thinking, we got away with the dog disguise at the station, didn't we? I thought I could —"

"NO!" said Alicia, Harry and Hermione together, very loudly. Ron glanced behind them at their loud voices.

"Sirius, didn't you see the _Daily Prophet_?" said Hermione anxiously.

"Oh that," said Sirius, grinning, "they're always guessing where I am, they haven't really got a clue —"

"This time is different Sirius." Alicia said worried

"Yeah, we think this time they have," said Harry. "Something Malfoy said on the train made us think he knew it was you,"

"And with Wormtail there's no way they couldn't know." Alicia added

"And his father was on the platform, Sirius — you know, Lucius Malfoy — so don't come up here, whatever you do, if Malfoy recognises you again —"

"All right, all right, I've got the point," said Sirius. He looked most displeased. "Just an idea, thought you might like to get together —"

"We would Sirius, more than anything." Alicia assured

"I would, I just don't want you chucked back in Azkaban!" said Harry.

"And if that means not seeing you then we'll take that instead." Alicia nodded.

There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry and Alicia before his eyes set on the boy, a crease between his sunken eyes.

"You're less like your father than I thought," he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. "The risk would've been what made it fun for James."

"Look —"

"Well, I'd better get going, I can hear Kreacher coming down the stairs," said Sirius, Alicia looked offended as she was sure he was lying. "I'll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I? If you can stand to risk it?"

"It's for your own good!" Alicia called as there was a tiny pop, and the place where Sirius's head had been was flickering flame once more.

Alicia ground her teeth angrily and got to her feet.

"Seriously! I would absolutely die to see him and give him the chance to get out of that crap house and he thinks we wouldn't! He spent twelve yeas in Azkaban and now he wants to risk getting the kiss and going back!?" she snapped angrily. Hermione looked disapproving as Harry stared at the fire with a frown.

"If he can't see how much we care about him by not risking losing him then to hell with him!" Alicia fumed before she turned, grabbed her homework and stormed up to the girl's dormitory.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

They had expected to have to comb Hermione's Daily Prophet carefully next morning to find the article Percy had mentioned in his letter. However, the departing delivery owl had barely cleared the top of the milk jug when Hermione let out a huge gasp and flattened the newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline:

MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM

DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR"

"'High Inquisitor'?" said Harry darkly, his half-eaten bit of toast slipping from his fingers. "What does _that_ mean?"

Hermione read aloud:

"In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"I knew Fudge was going to do that when Dumbledore declared he had no ruling over Hogwarts." Alicia hissed angrily before Hermione continued to read.

"'The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,' said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. 'He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.'

"This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person.

" 'That's how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,' said Weasley last night. 'Dumbledore couldn't find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she's been an immediate success —' "

"I knew Dumbledore had no choice in her hiring." Alicia said, her good hand balled into a fist.

"She's been a WHAT?" said Harry loudly.

"Wait, there's more," said Hermione grimly.

"'— an immediate success, totally revolutionising the teaching of Defence Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what's really happening at Hogwarts.'

"It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalised with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor.'

"'This is an exciting new phase in the Minister's plan to get to grips with what some are calling the "falling standards" at Hogwarts,' said Weasley. 'The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.'

"The Ministry's new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts.

" 'I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,' said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. 'Many of us with our children's best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore's eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.'

"Among those 'eccentric decisions' are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror 'Mad-Eye' Moody.

"Rumours abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts.

" 'I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence,' said a Ministry insider last night.

"Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts. " 'Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge's office,' said Madam Marchbanks. 'This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.' (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks' alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17)."

Hermione finished reading and looked across the table at the other two.

"So now we know how we ended up with Umbridge! Fudge passed this 'Educational Decree' and forced her on us! And now he's given her the power to inspect other teachers!" Hermione was breathing fast and her eyes were very bright. "I can't believe this. It's _outrageous_ …"

"She's going to cause us to fail every subject now, not just Defence Against the Dark Arts." Alicia thought annoyed

"I know it is," said Harry. He looked down at his right hand, clenched upon the tabletop, and saw the faint white outline of the words Umbridge had forced him to cut into his skin.

But a grin was unfurling on Ron's face.

"What?" said Alicia, Harry and Hermione together, staring at him.

"Oh, I can't wait to see McGonagall inspected," said Ron happily. "Umbridge won't know what's hit her."

"What about Snape?" Alicia wondered "He might get fired!" the three looked at her.

"Well, come on," said Hermione, jumping up, "we'd better get going, if she's inspecting Binns's class we don't want to be late…"

But Professor Umbridge was not inspecting their History of Magic lesson, which was just as dull as the previous Monday, nor was she in Snape's dungeon when they arrived for double Potions. Alicia wasn't impressed by the A sitting in her corner but she took that as her initiative to work harder and get it up to an O.

"I have awarded you the grades you would have received if you presented this work in your O.W.L," said Snape with a smirk, as he swept among them, passing back their homework. "This should give you a realistic idea of what to expect in your examination."

Snape reached the front of the class and turned to face them.

"The general standard of this homework was abysmal. Most of you would have failed had this been your examination. I expect to see a great deal more effort for this week's essay on the various varieties of venom antidotes, or I shall have to start handing out detentions to those dunces who get D's."

He smirked as Malfoy sniggered and said in a carrying whisper, "Some people got _D's_? Ha!"

Alicia saw Harry shove his paper out of sight quickly and she looked at Snape annoyed. She didn't even need to guess to know Snape gave Harry a low mark just out of spite.

They spent the lesson working on a Strengthening Solution in which Alicia took just as much care in as she had done last week. She was impressed when she saw Harry's potion was a nice blue — although not the clear turquoise it should have been like her's and Hermione's — before they bottled the potions in flasks and left the room.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as last week, was it?" said Hermione, as they climbed the steps out of the dungeon and made their way across the entrance hall toward lunch. "And the homework didn't go too badly either, did it?"

"Well for Snape's standards no. But I'm sure my essay was better than what he gave me for." Alicia responded

"Well I didn't expect the top grade, not if he's marking to O.W.L. standard, but a pass is quite encouraging at this stage, wouldn't you say?" Hermione said, turned to the boys, earning a noncommittal noise in his throat from Harry.

"Of course, a lot can happen between now and the exam, we've got plenty of time to improve, but the grades we're getting now are a sort of baseline, aren't they? Something we can build on…"

"Give Snape something to spit about when he can't mark us down." Alicia smirked as they sat down together at the Gryffindor table.

"Obviously, I'd have been _thrilled_ if I'd gotten an O —"

"Hermione," said Ron sharply, "if you want to know what grades we got, ask."

"I don't — I didn't mean — well, if you want to tell me —"

"I got a P," said Ron, ladling soup into his bowl. "Happy?"

"Well, that's nothing to be ashamed of," said Fred, who had just arrived at the table with George and Lee Jordan and was sitting down on Harry's right. "Nothing wrong with a good healthy P."

"Especially when it's from Snape." Alicia nodded in agreement

"But," said Hermione, "doesn't P stand for…"

"'Poor,' yeah," said Lee Jordan. "Still, better than D, isn't it? 'Dreadful'?"

Harry started having a coughing fit over his roll he'd been eating and Alicia, with a raised eyebrow, hit his back between his shoulder blades.

"So top grade's O for 'Outstanding,'" she was saying, "and then there's A —"

"No, E," George corrected her, "E for 'Exceeds Expectations.' And I've always thought Fred and I should've got E in everything, because we exceeded expectations just by turning up for the exams."

They all laughed except Hermione, who plowed on, "So after E, it's A for 'Acceptable,' and that's the last pass grade, isn't it?"

"Yep," said Fred, dunking an entire roll in his soup, transferring it to his mouth, and swallowing it whole.

"Then you get P for 'Poor' " — Ron raised both his arms in mock celebration — "and D for 'Dreadful.' "

"And then T," George reminded him.

"T?" asked Hermione, looking appalled. "Even lower than a D? What on earth does that stand for?"

" 'Troll,' " said George promptly.

They laughed again, even if George was joking or not to which he grinned proudly at.

"You lot had an inspected lesson yet?" Fred asked them.

"No," said Hermione at once, "have you?"

"Just now, before lunch," said George. "Charms."

"What was it like?" Harry and Hermione asked together. Fred shrugged.

"Not that bad. Umbridge just lurked in the corner making notes on a clipboard. You know what Flitwick's like, he treated her like a guest, didn't seem to bother him at all. She didn't say much. Asked Angelina a couple of questions about what the classes are normally like, Angelina told her they were really good, that was it."

"I can't see old Flitwick getting marked down," said George, "he usually gets everyone through their exams all right."

"Who've you got this afternoon?" Fred asked Harry.

"Trelawney —"

"A T if ever I saw one —"

"Sinister." Alicia said looking at Hermione.

"— and Umbridge herself."

"Well, be good kids and keep your temper with Umbridge today," said George. "Angelina'll do her nut if you miss any more Quidditch practices."

Alicia sighed.

"I think I'd have to eat a heap of your Blood Blisterpods if I have to take any more of Umbridge's detentions." Alicia admitted. She glanced at her hand, no longer bandaged, and the words, white and only just visible from the right angle, were carved into her hand.

Alicia and Hermione got up and left for Arithmancy while the boys trotted on to Divination. It wasn't until they met up for Defence Against the Dark Arts that they learnt Umbridge had surveyed Trelawney.

"That mustn't have gone well…" Alicia believed

"Umbridge followed her around and asked questions and made notes before asking her to predict something." Harry admitted

"Predict something?" Alicia asked with a raised eyebrow

"That old bat predicts?" Hermione scoffed

"She decided to tell Umbridge she was in danger."

"Yeah well if she continues her lessons like last week she will be." Alicia smiled in an uncharacterised sweet way. "Cause I'll be cursing her." she decided before they moved into the Defence Against the Dark Arts room.

Umbridge was there already, humming happily to herself and smiling as they took their seats. Hermione was stopped from questioning the boys about the inspection when Umbridge brought them to order and silence fell.

"Wands away," she instructed them all smilingly, and those people who had been hopeful enough to take them out sadly returned them to their bags. "As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence chapter two, 'Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation.' There will be no need to talk."

Still smiling her wide, self-satisfied smile, she sat down at her desk. The class gave an audible sigh as it turned, as one, to page nineteen.

Alicia had a smile on her face and she looked at Hermione as the two of them raised their hands. Anything to spite the women and Alicia had decided to do so by reading Umbridge's entire set text book. Now what was she going to have them do?

Professor Umbridge noticed them and, instead of trying to pretend she had not noticed either girl, she got to her feet and walked around the front row of desks until they were face-to-face, then she bent down and whispered, so that the rest of the class could not hear, "What is it this time, Miss Granger? Miss Evans?"

"We've already read chapter two," said Hermione.

"Well then, proceed to chapter three."

"I've read that too."

"We've read the whole book, Professor." Alicia said smiling

Professor Umbridge blinked but recovered her poise almost instantly.

"Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen."

"He says that counterjinxes are improperly named," said Hermione promptly.

"He says 'counterjinx' is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable." Alicia added on, causing the women to look between the two girls, her eyebrows raised and seeming, against her will, impressed.

"But I disagree," Hermione continued.

Professor Umbridge's eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder.

"You disagree?"

"Yes, I do," said Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking in a clear, carrying voice that had by now attracted the rest of the class's attention. "Mr. Slinkhard doesn't like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they're used defensively."

"After all a simple jinx can be rather handy in the right situation." Alicia agreed

"Oh, you do, do you?" said Professor Umbridge, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. "Well, I'm afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard's opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger."

"But —" Hermione began.

"That is enough," said Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. "Miss Granger, I am going to take five points each from Gryffindor House for you and Miss Evans." Alicia balled up her hands but said nothing, keeping her expression blank.

There was an outbreak of muttering at this.

"What for?" said Harry angrily.

"Don't you get involved!" Hermione whispered urgently to him as Alicia hit him.

"For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions," said Professor Umbridge smoothly. "I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them — with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects — would have passed a Ministry inspection —"

"Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher," said Harry loudly, "there was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head."

Alicia hit her forehead to the table with a groan. This was the only sound that penetrated this pronouncement as it was followed by one of the loudest silences ever heard. Then —

"I think another week's detentions would do you some good, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge sleekly.

* * *

Alicia bandaged Harry's hand again the next morning. His hand was still bleeding when he'd met her in the common room and had barely healed from the night before. The girl said nothing to him about the detentions, or asked him how it went. She had however warned him about Angelina, who would be more then angry, probably ready to seriously maim the boy, for missing another weeks worth of practices.

As expected, Angelina had cornered Harry at the Gryffindor table when he and Alicia had arrived in the Great Hall and started shouting so loudly that Professor McGonagall came sweeping down upon the pair of them from the staff table.

"Miss Johnson, how _dare_ you make such a racket in the Great Hall! Five points from Gryffindor!"

"But Professor — he's gone and landed himself in detention _again_ —"

"What's this, Potter?" said Professor McGonagall sharply, rounding on Harry. "Detention? From whom?"

"From Professor Umbridge," muttered Harry, not meeting Professor McGonagall's beady, square-framed eyes.

"Miss Potter?"

"I'm not being punished this time Professor." Alicia admitted "I just had house points taken for expressing an opinion about the text book we were reading with Hermione." she said and Professor McGonagall released a breath as she turned back to Harry.

"So, you are telling me," she said, lowering her voice so that the group of curious Ravenclaws behind them could not hear, "that after the warning I gave you last Monday you lost your temper in Professor Umbridge's class again?"

"Yes," Harry muttered, speaking to the floor.

"Potter, you must get a grip on yourself! You are heading for serious trouble! Another five points from Gryffindor!" Alicia looked surprised as Harry was furious at the injustice.

"But — what? Professor, no!" Harry said. "I'm already being punished by her, why do you have to take points as well?"

"Because detentions do not appear to have any effect on you whatsoever!" said Professor McGonagall tartly. "No, not another word of complaint, Potter! And as for you, Miss Johnson, you will confine your shouting matches to the Quidditch pitch in future or risk losing the team Captaincy!" She strode back toward the staff table. Angelina gave Harry a look of deepest disgust and stalked away, Alicia sighed, releasing a breath and continued to sit beside Hermione at the table as Harry, fuming, flung himself onto the bench beside Ron.

"She's taken points off Gryffindor because I'm having my hand sliced open every night! How is that fair, _how_?"

"I know, mate," said Ron sympathetically, tipping bacon onto Harry's plate, "she's bang out of order."

Hermione, however, merely rustled the pages of her _Daily Prophe_ t and said nothing.

"You think McGonagall was right, do you?" said Harry angrily to the picture of Cornelius Fudge obscuring Hermione's face.

"I wish she hadn't taken points from you, but I think she's right to warn you not to lose your temper with Umbridge," said Hermione's voice, while Fudge gesticulated forcefully from the front page, clearly giving some kind of speech.

Harry looked absolutely furious and Alicia concentrated on her breakfast as she felt him look at her. She had a feeling that Harry was angry, having Dumbledore ignore you and people whisper behind your back… but the snap he'd made about Voldemort possessing Quirrell had, in her opinion, been completely unnecessary.

 _We need to do something to help remove the anger…_ Alicia thought as they got up and moved towards their Charms class. Neither Ron or Alicia said anything about Harry ignoring Hermione for all of charms, but shared a few looks despite that.

When they walked into Transfiguration however Alicia felt a pang of anger. Professor Umbridge and her clipboard were sitting in a corner. Alicia grabbed Harry and began to pull him to their usual seats.

"Excellent," whispered Ron. "Let's see Umbridge get what she deserves."

Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there.

"That will do," she said and silence fell immediately. "Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework — Miss Brown, please take this box of mice — don't be silly, girl, they won't hurt you — and hand one to each student —"

" _Hem, hem_ ," said Professor Umbridge, employing the same silly little cough she had used to interrupt Dumbledore on the first night of term. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Alicia looked at her essay as Seamus handed it to her and was delighted by the E sitting on it's front.

"Right then, everyone, listen closely — Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention — most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be —"

"Hem, hem," said Professor Umbridge.

"Yes?" said Professor McGonagall, turning round, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line.

"I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec —"

"Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom," said Professor McGonagall, turning her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. Many of the students exchanged looks of glee. "As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell —"

"Hem, hem."

"I wonder," said Professor McGonagall in cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, "how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking."

Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously. Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed the class once more.

"As I was saying, the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So — you know the incantation, let me see what you can do…"

"How she can lecture me about not losing my temper with Umbridge!" Harry said to Ron under his voice, but he was grinning; his anger with Professor McGonagall had quite evaporated.

Alicia managed to completely vanish her mouse as she had her snail and asked for a second one as she had done before only to do the same again. She was most impressed and Hermione and her received house points, gaining back what Umbridge had taken, for their work.

Professor Umbridge did not follow Professor McGonagall around the class; perhaps she thought that Professor McGonagall would not permit it. She did, however, take many more notes while she sat in her corner, and when Professor McGonagall finally told them all to pack away, rose with a grim expression on her face.

"Well, it's a start," said Ron, holding up a long, wriggling mouse tail and dropping it back into the box Lavender was passing around. As they filed out of the classroom, Harry saw Professor Umbridge approach the teacher's desk; he nudged Ron, who nudged Hermione, who nudged Alicia in turn, and the four of them deliberately fell back to eavesdrop.

"How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" Professor Umbridge asked.

"Thirty-nine years this December," said Professor McGonagall brusquely, snapping her bag shut.

Professor Umbridge made a note.

"Very well," she said, "you will receive the results of your inspection in ten days' time."

"I can hardly wait," said Professor McGonagall in a coldly indifferent voice, and she strode off toward the door. "Hurry up, you lot," she added, sweeping Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione before her.

The three set down for lunch and Alicia could see it wasn't just her spirits that were lifted but Harry's as well.

"We need to see that more often." Alicia decided as she grabbed some food for her plate "Oh to be an adult and put Umbridge squarely in her place." she hummed.

The four walked down the lawns towards the Forest for Care of Magical Creatures only to find Umbridge there again, her clipboard in hand and waiting beside Professor Grubbly-Plank.

"Well this'll be interesting." Alicia mumbled eyeing the toad-like women.

"You do not usually take this class, is that correct?" She asked as they arrived at the trestle table where the group of captive bowtruckles were scrabbling around for wood lice like so many living twigs.

"Quite correct," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, hands behind her back and bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I am a substitute teacher standing in for Professor Hagrid."

Harry exchanged uneasy looks with Alicia, Ron and Hermione. Malfoy was whispering with Crabbe and Goyle; he would surely love this opportunity to tell tales on Hagrid to a member of the Ministry.

"Hmm," said Professor Umbridge, dropping her voice, though the four could still hear her quite clearly, "I wonder — the headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter — can _you_ tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid's very extended leave of absence?"

Harry saw Malfoy look up eagerly.

"'Fraid I can't," said Professor Grubbly-Plank breezily. "Don't know anything more about it than you do. Got an owl from Dumbledore, would I like a couple of weeks teaching work, accepted — that's as much as I know. Well… shall I get started then?"

"Yes, please do," said Professor Umbridge, scribbling upon her clipboard.

Umbridge took a different tack in this class and wandered among the students, questioning them on magical creatures. Most people were able to answer well and Alicia was proud to call the class mates her house mates as they did not letting Hagrid down.

"Overall," said Professor Umbridge, returning to Professor Grubbly-Plank's side after a lengthy interrogation of Dean Thomas, "how do you, as a temporary member of staff — an objective outsider, I suppose you might say — how do you find Hogwarts? Do you feel you receive enough support from the school management?"

"Oh, yes, Dumbledore's excellent," said Professor Grubbly-Plank heartily. "No, I'm very happy with the way things are run, very happy indeed."

Looking politely incredulous, Umbridge made a tiny note on her clipboard and went on, "And what are you planning to cover with this class this year — assuming, of course, that Professor Hagrid does not return?"

"Oh, I'll take them through the creatures that most often come up in O.W.L.," said Professor Grubbly-Plank. "Not much left to do — they've studied unicorns and nifflers, I thought we'd cover porlocks and kneazles, make sure they can recognise crups and knarls, you know…"

"Well, you seem to know what you're doing, at any rate," said Professor Umbridge, making a very obvious tick on her clipboard. Alicia watched annoyed when she put her next question to Goyle: "Now, I hear there have been injuries in this class?"

Goyle gave a stupid grin. Malfoy hastened to answer the question.

"That was me," he said. "I was slashed by a hippogriff."

"A hippogriff?" said Professor Umbridge, now scribbling frantically.

"Yeah because he's an idiot." Alicia said unthinkingly as Harry spoke angrily

"Only because he was too stupid to listen to what Hagrid told him to do,"

Both Ron and Hermione groaned. Professor Umbridge turned her head slowly in both their direction. Alicia sighed as she realised what she'd done.

"Another night's detention, I think, Miss Evans you can join tonight as well." she said softly. "Well, thank you very much, Professor Grubbly-Plank, I think that's all I need here. You will be receiving the results of your inspection within ten days."

"Jolly good," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and Professor Umbridge set off back across the lawn to the castle.

"Dammit." Alicia mumbled

"And here I thought you were doing better." Hermione said to her

"Well that's something I'd say to any teacher and usually they listen and write something about Malfoy being stupid, not give an detention." Alicia admitted.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25:

It was nearly midnight when the twins left Umbridge's office and Alicia was dabbing her bleeding hand as Harry wrapped more gauze around his, but the blood just seeped through with the severity of it.

Neither one expected the room to be occupied but it seemed Hermione and Ron had waited up for them. Hermione was sympathetic to Harry instead of critical.

"Here," she said anxiously, pushing a small bowl of yellow liquid toward them, "soak your hand in that, it's a solution of strained and pickled murtlap tentacles, it should help."

Alicia smiled at the girl and put her hand in the bowl beside Harry's and the feeling of relief washed over them. Crookshanks curled around Harry's legs, purring loudly, and then leapt into his lap and settled down. Alicia sat at his feet and leaned on his legs to keep her hand in the bowl with him.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, scratching behind Crookshanks's ears with his left hand.

"I still reckon you should complain about this," said Ron in a low voice.

"No," said Harry flatly.

"McGonagall would go nuts if she knew —"

"Yeah, she probably would," said Harry. "And how long d'you reckon it'd take Umbridge to pass another Decree saying anyone who complains about the High Inquisitor gets sacked immediately?"

Ron opened his mouth to retort but nothing came out and after a moment he closed it again in a defeated sort of way.

"Even if Umbridge didn't, what can McGonagall really do? And with Educational Decree number twenty-two," Alicia said in an mockingly "We can't get rid of Umbridge so Dumbledore can't do anything either."

"She's an awful woman," said Hermione in a small voice. " _Awful_. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in… we've got to do something about her."

"I suggested poison," said Ron grimly.

"No… I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we're not going to learn any defence from her at all," said Hermione.

"Well, what can we do about that?" said Ron, yawning. " 'S too late, isn't it? She got the job, she's here to stay, Fudge'll make sure of that."

"Well," said Hermione tentatively. "You know, I was thinking today…" She shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and Alicia who looked at one another confused before she plunged on, "I was thinking that — maybe the time's come when we should just — just do it ourselves."

"Do what ourselves?" said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of murtlap tentacles with Alicia.

"Well — learn Defence Against the Dark Arts ourselves," said Hermione.

"Yeah, great, let's just go read some books and wave our wands in the common room for someone to dob on us. That is of course on top of our homework, detention, Quidditch…" Alicia listed

"Come off it," groaned Ron. "You want us to do extra work? D'you realise Harry and I are behind on homework again and it's only the second week?"

"But this is much more important than homework!" said Hermione. Harry and Ron goggled at her.

Alicia blinked.

"I'm sorry, do you want to just run that by us again, for the sake of us questioning your identity?" she asked

"I didn't think there was anything in the universe more important than homework," said Ron.

"Don't be silly, of course there is!" said Hermione, and Harry saw, with an ominous feeling, that her face was suddenly alight with the kind of fervour that S.P.E.W. usually inspired in her. "It's about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge's first lesson, for what's waiting out there. It's about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don't learn anything for a whole year —"

"We can't do much by ourselves," said Ron in a defeated voice. "I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practice them, I suppose —"

"No, I agree, we've gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books," said Hermione. "We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we're going wrong."

"If you're talking about Lupin…" Harry began.

"No, no, I'm not talking about Lupin," said Hermione. "He's too busy with the Order and anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmeade weekends and that's not nearly often enough."

"So you want someone here? At Hogwarts, willing to go behind Umbridge's back, who knows the stuff and is willing, to teach us?" Alicia asked

"Who is there around here like that?" said Harry, frowning at her. He looked at Alicia but she was looking thoughtful as though trying to work out what Hermione was thinking.

Hermione heaved a very deep sigh.

"Isn't it obvious?" she said. "I'm talking about the two of _you_ , Harry." and she looked at Alicia who was looking surprised.

There was a moment's silence. A light night breeze rattled the windowpanes behind Ron and the fire guttered.

"The two of us what?" said Harry.

"I'm talking about _you_ and _Alicia_ teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts." Harry stared at her. Then he turned to Ron, ready to exchange the exasperated looks they sometimes shared when Hermione elaborated on far-fetched schemes like S.P.E.W. To Harry's consternation, however, Ron did not look exasperated. He was frowning slightly, apparently thinking. Then he said, "That's an idea."

"What's an idea?" said Harry.

"You," said Ron. "Teaching us to do it." Harry looked at Alicia but she was simply staring at Hermione with her eyes wide and her expression shocked. Words seemed to have failed her as she hand her hand on the bowl with Harry and was motionless.

"But…"

Harry was grinning now, sure the pair of them were pulling his leg. "But I'm not a teacher, I can't —"

"Harry, you're the best in the year at Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione.

"Me?" said Harry, now grinning more broadly than ever. "No I'm not, you and Alicia have beaten me in every test —"

"Actually, I haven't," said Hermione coolly. "You beat me in our third year — the only year we both sat the test and had a teacher who actually knew the subject. And Alicia beats me in our homework and exams all the time. But I'm not talking about test results, Harry. Look what the two of you have done!"

Alicia looked down at her lap. That was true… Harry and her had done something incredible every year they'd been at Hogwarts so far. Add on what Harry had done in the Triwizard Tournament the previous year and they had learnt a lot more than your average fifth year.

"Add on Alicia and her knack for spells." Ron said to Hermione who nodded

"How d'you mean?" Harry questioned

"You know what, I'm not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me," Ron said to Hermione, smirking slightly. He turned to Harry. "Let's think," he said, pulling a face like Goyle concentrating. "Uh… first year — you both saved the Stone from You-Know-Who."

"But that was luck," said Harry, "that wasn't skill —"

"Second year," Ron interrupted, "you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle."

"Yeah, but if Alicia and Fawkes hadn't—"

"Third year," said Ron, louder still, "you fought off about a hundred dementors at once —"

"You know that was a fluke, if the Time-Turner hadn't —"

"Last year," Ron said, almost shouting now, "you fought off You- Know-Who again —"

"Listen to me!" said Harry, almost angrily, because Ron and Hermione were both smirking now. "Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck — I didn't know what I was doing half the time, I didn't plan any of it, I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help — Alicia did more than anything to keep her head straight and think rationally if anyone should be teaching us it should be her."

Ron and Hermione were still smirking and Alicia frowned. Did they really think the two of them were proud of what they'd done? When Alicia went through and thought deeply about it… Ron had gotten badly injured in their first year and the two had ended up in the hospital wing saving the stone. Harry had been poisoned and the two almost died by the basilisk as they tried to save Ginny's life force from bringing Voldemort back. Sirius had almost had his soul sucked out, dementors had almost killed the two of them and Lupin could have ripped them both apart in their third year, plus Wormtail got away. That lead to Harry being put into the Triwizard tournament and almost dying against a dragon, drowning amongst merpeople and he and Alicia almost being murdered after seeing Cedric die by Voldemort's hand…

Her expression had turned down and she lowered her head so her hair covered her expression.

No, none of that was anything to be proud of. They had put themselves and their friends, people they cared most about, in danger, terrible danger. And their actions had caused Voldemort to kill people over the last year and now was causing all this dismay this year.

It seemed Harry didn't think all the things they'd done over the last four years was anything to be happy about either for he was now talking to Hermione and Ron with anger lacing his voice.

"Don't sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn't I?" he said heatedly. "I know what went on, all right? And I didn't get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defence Against the Dark Arts, I got through it all because — because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right — but I just blundered through it all, I didn't have a clue what I was doing — STOP LAUGHING!"

The bowl of murtlap essence fell into Alicia's lap and soaked her robes as Harry was suddenly on his feet. Crookshanks streaked away under a sofa and both Ron and Hermione's smiles had vanished.

" _You don't know what it's like_! You — neither of you — you've never had to face him, have you? You think it's just memorising a bunch of spells and throwing them at him, like you're in class or something? The whole time you know there's nothing between you and dying except your own — your own brain or guts or whatever — like you can think straight when you know you're about a second from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die — they've never taught us that in their classes, what it's like to deal with things like that — and you two sit there acting like I'm a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up — you just don't get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadn't needed me —"

The two looked at Alicia but she had refused to raise her gaze.

"We weren't saying anything like that, mate," said Ron, looking aghast. "We weren't having a go at Diggory, we didn't — you've got the wrong end of the —"

"Guys, it's not something to laugh about." Alicia's voice was small as she spoke and Harry was surprised she wasn't angry like him, but she sat on the floor, having only jumped a little from the murtlap essence. "It was terrifying last year. Every fibre of me thought I was going to loose Harry or we'd both just be lost and gone and—" she broke off "And then when we got back, with the adrenaline gone—" she swallowed "And then to find Harry was gone again… you know for a split second it was like I imagined getting back with him and I'd lost him forever — I don't expect you to understand how much of a murderous blow that was, seeing as you guys haven't lost family members before and been alone most of your life…" she said and finally looked up for them to see her eyes were glistening to tears. "And it might sound impressive, everything we did, but look at how many people got injured, and how some — Wormtail mainly — led to more worse than good…" she stopped and looked down at her hands in her lap before fiddling for her wand to remove the liquid on her robes, cleaning it up with a tap of the end.

Ron looked helplessly at Hermione, the two shocked into silence more by Alicia's soft saddened words than Harry's yells. Hermione's face was stricken but she managed to find her voice as she looked at Harry who's face was still fuming as he was on his feet.

"Harry," she said timidly, "don't you see? This… this is exactly why we need you… We need to know what it's r-really like… facing him… facing V-Voldemort."

It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort's name, and it was this, more than anything else, that calmed Harry. Still breathing hard, he sank back into his chair behind Alicia and placed his hands around her neck to try and comfort her. She took one of his hands in hers and nodded to say she was alright as she took a breath.

"Well… think about it," said Hermione quietly. "Please?" Harry nodded absentmindedly as he put his chin on the top of Alicia's head. Alicia glanced at the girl and nodded too.

Hermione stood up.

"Well, I'm off to bed," she said in a voice that was clearly as natural as she could make it. "Erm… 'night." and she didn't bother waiting for Alicia, thinking she wasn't moving from her seat on the floor.

Ron had gotten to his feet too.

"Coming?" he said awkwardly to Harry.

"Yeah," said Harry. "In… in a minute." Ron nodded and left.

"Harry," Alicia said quietly after a few minutes of silence "Do you get the feeling she might be… kinda right?" she asked.

Harry said nothing.

"We have leant a lot… and…" she paused before she turned and Harry sat up to look at her face, both still sad and worried yet, calculating. "If we do this… we could help our class mates and — well we could stop anything happening, or give them a better chance…" she took a deep breath "So nothing like Cedric happens again." she said in a whisper.  
Harry stared at her.

"With Umbridge, who knows how many more people will…" she stopped again "And especially if Voldemort succeeds in getting that… weapon." she said looking worried again "And we do know a lot. I mean, what we learnt last year for your tasks, and what the patronus… and even in our first year…" she said "And I have read a lot of advanced charm books…"

"We're talking about Hermione and Ron here." Harry said

"Well… yes… but…" Alicia said slowly looking down "Harry I saw Cedric die as well, and I never want to see something like that again." Her voice was so soft that Harry almost didn't catch the words. "I wouldn't mind… you know, helping a few others." she said.

"You could do it no problem." Harry interrupted "You helped distract the basilisk and you managed a patronus before me."

"Harry, I didn't do the Triwizard tournament last year." Alicia said strongly "What you used to get through what ever was in that maze last year didn't come from me. Hermione's right, you are good at Defence Against the Dark Arts. And no one's really faced the Dark Arts like we have. I couldn't do this by myself, not if we were to really teach what is needed."

"People wont want to be taught by us, Alicia. They think I'm an attention seeking boy and you're a lier sick of sitting in my shadow." Alicia pursed her lips. If she was honest she'd been doing a rather good job at ignoring any of the whispers and spits that followed her through the corridors and Great Hall, especially as she had Umbridge's detentions last week and all the homework to keep her occupied.

"Some people believe us." Alicia said "And if they like the idea of actually learning defence then I think it'd be a good idea to give them the opportunity."

Harry looked down.

"Of course, she did tell us to think about it, so it's not a decision that needs to be made now." Alicia reminded him "I just, wanted to make those few points." she said

"You don't sound opposed."

"Because, I can think logically." Alicia said carefully "And after what we saw and what we've done… if I can stop that…" she said nodding. "But I'm not doing it alone." she said looking nervous then "Cause the might be a bit…" Harry chuckled at the expression on her face and she hit him.

"Come on. We should probably get to bed." she decided as she stood up. Harry nodded and stood up beside her. "Night." and she turned for the girl's dormitory with a wave.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26:

Hermione made no mention of the twins giving Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons for two whole weeks after her original suggestion. Harry's detentions with Umbridge were finally over, Ron had had four more Quidditch practices and not been shouted at during the last two and all four of them had managed to vanish their mice in Transfiguration, Hermione and Alicia had actually progressed to vanishing kittens. Of course Alicia had to stop playing with her's before begrudgingly causing it to vanish ("Why does it have to be kitten, they're so cute!" she exclaimed).

Hermione and Alicia were in the dormitory together alone when Alicia spoke.

"Hey Hermione." Alicia said and she paused "About these Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons." Hermione perked up instantly "I think it's a good idea." she said "But I don't think we should just teach you and Ron…" she said

"You mean teach other people?" Hermione asked "I was hoping we'd do that too!" she said smiling and Alicia smirked slightly, not at all surprised by this.

"But…" Alicia said "I don't feel like doing it by myself… so if Harry agrees too…"

"I thought you were more confident than that?" Hermione smiled

"Well, this is something that could mean…" she bit her lip "It could mean the difference between life of death later on." she said carefully and Hermione's smile vanished. "You haven't seen someone murdered Hermione, but trust me when I say you never do. I never want to have to go through something like that again and if that means teaching others then so be it. Because you're right, we have done a lot and we do know a lot so,"

"So we need to ask Harry." Hermione nodded and the girl did the same.

"What do you think he'll think?"

"Well I told him why I thought it was a good idea, and… I don't know, I think I made a fair point…" she said not wanting to get her hopes up.

"He's had time to think about… right?" Hermione asked

"I think so…" Alicia nodded "But you realise if we do this, you and I are going to have to work a little harder to keep the boys on track with their homework and keep Harry's mouth shut around Umbridge, we might not be able to afford that on top of everything." Alicia warned and Hermione nodded

"I'm sure we can figure that out. But who should we ask? To join us I mean?" Hermione wondered

"Well I think we can start with the Weasleys. After all Ginny, Fred and George definitely wont argue. Ginny might bring Michael. Dean might come and Neville definitely…" Alicia said

"What about Ernie and Susan Bones?"

"You don't think the prefects would be worried?" Alicia asked

"I'm not."

"Yeah but…" Alicia looked concerned

"Well we can always ask and find out."

"But we need to be careful, I mean if Umbridge ever catches wind of this…" Alicia said looking very concerned now.

"Yes, it needs to be kept silent." Hermione agreed as she thought.

"How about we ask Harry first?" Alicia offered and Hermione nodded.

Hermione brought the subject of the twins teaching lessons up to Harry on a wild, blustery evening at the end of September, when the four of them were sitting in the library, looking up potion ingredients for Snape.

"I was wondering," Hermione said suddenly, "whether you'd thought any more about Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry." Alicia glanced at the girl and said nothing as Hermione addressed her brother.

"'Course I have," said Harry grumpily. "Can't forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us —"

"I meant the idea Ron and I had" — Ron cast her an alarmed, threatening kind of look; she frowned at him — "oh, all right, the idea I had, then — about you and Alicia teaching us."

Harry did not answer at once. He pretended to be perusing a page of Asiatic Anti-Venoms.

Alicia looked at him with scrutiny, leaning closer. He turned to her from the book and she raised an eyebrow.

"You have debated it." she realised when no surprise was shown to indicate Harry had forgotten. "Well," he said slowly, "yeah, I — I've thought about it a bit." he admitted

"And?" said Hermione eagerly.

"I dunno," said Harry. He looked up at Ron.

"I thought it was a good idea from the start," said Ron, who seemed keener to join in this conversation now that he was sure that Harry was not going to start shouting again.

Alicia however was grinning.

"What?" he asked her

"You're gonna do it." she said and the other two looked at one another "If you weren't you'd have down right refused straight up and probably stormed out to avoid the topic." she admitted. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn't you?" he said to Hermione, not saying anything to his twin who was looking smug.

"Yes, Harry," said Hermione gently, "but all the same, there's no point pretending that you're not good at Defence Against the Dark Arts, because you are. You and Alicia were the only people last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely, you can produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can't, Viktor always said —"

Ron looked around at her so fast he appeared to crick his neck; rubbing it, he said, "Yeah? What did Vicky say?"

"Ho ho," said Hermione in a bored voice. "He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn't, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang."

Ron was looking at Hermione suspiciously.

"You're not still in contact with him, are you?"

"So what if I am?" said Hermione coolly, though her face was a little pink. "I can have a pen pal if I —"

"He didn't only want to be your pen pal," said Ron accusingly.

"Ron, that's not really what we're discussing here." Alicia said changing the subject as Hermione shook her head exasperatedly. She turned to Harry, ignoring Ron who was watching her.

"Well, what do you think? Will you teach us?"

"You want to ask Alicia?" Harry asked.

"Alicia already agreed." Harry looked at her and she grinned sheepishly

"Well, only if you do it with me." she said when Ron took his eyes from Hermione surprised too. Harry looked at the three to them. "Come on Harry, clearly you've been thinking about it…" Alicia said carefully, leaving the sentence open for him to prove her correct.

"Just you and Ron, yeah?"

"Well," said Hermione, now looking a bit anxious again. "Well… now, don't fly off the handle again, Harry, please… But Alicia and I both really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we're talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort — oh, don't be pathetic, Ron — it doesn't seem fair if we don't offer the chance to other people."

Harry looked at Alicia who shrugged and gave him a look to ask what he thought and the boy considered this for a moment, then said, "Yeah, but I doubt anyone except you two would want to be taught by us. I'm a nutter, remember?"

"Well, I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested in hearing what you've got to say," said Hermione seriously. "Look," she leaned toward him and Alicia; Ron, who was still watching her with a frown on his face, leaned forward to listen too, "you know the first weekend in October's a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who's interested to meet us in the village and we can talk it over?"

"Why do we have to do it outside school?" said Ron.

"Because," said Hermione, returning to the diagram of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage she was copying, "I don't think Umbridge would be very happy if she found out what we were up to."

Alicia grinned.

"That's an understatement. Blood quills for us all." she sounded and Hermione rolled her eyes as the boys winced slightly.

* * *

Hogsmeade always brought a grin to Alicia's face since she was allowed to actually visit the village the previous year, their third Harry and Alicia did it without permission with the help of the Marauders Map and the invisibility cloak Harry had received from Dumbledore, having belonged to their father before hand.

This time however she was a little worried. Sirius had maintained a stony silence since he had appeared in the fire at the beginning of September and Alicia knew he was angry by them refusing to see him. Of course she was angry he took offence to their worries for him but she worried Sirius might just show up anyway. Of course Sirius didn't know their first Hogsmeade trip date as far as Alicia was aware but that didn't stop him from finding out.

Then there was fact that they would be meeting the people Hermione had gone out and scavenged for Alicia and Harry's Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons, the thought of which made Alicia nervous, yet determined. She also worried if no one would turn up at all as well.

It turned out Harry was worrying about Sirius turning up at Hogsmeade as well as Alicia, as he voiced his fears to her, Ron and Hermione.

"Well, you can't blame him for wanting to get out and about," said Ron. "I mean, he's been on the run for over two years, hasn't he, and I know that can't have been a laugh, but at least he was free, wasn't he? And now he's just shut up all the time with that lunatic elf."

Hermione scowled at Ron, but otherwise ignored the slight on Kreacher.

"The trouble is," she said to Harry, "until V-Voldemort — oh for heaven's _sake_ , Ron — comes out into the open, Sirius is going to have to stay hidden, isn't he? I mean, the stupid Ministry isn't going to realise Sirius is innocent until they accept that Dumbledore's been telling the truth about him all along. And once the fools start catching real Death Eaters again it'll be obvious Sirius isn't one… I mean, he hasn't got the Mark, for one thing."

"Well let's hope to gods that's what happens and Sirius is let off the hook as well as the rest of us." Alicia sighed

"I don't reckon he'd be stupid enough to turn up," said Ron bracingly. "Dumbledore'd go mad if he did and Sirius listens to Dumbledore even if he doesn't like what he hears."

When Harry continued to look worried, Hermione said, "Listen, Ron and I have been sounding out people who we thought might want to learn some proper Defence Against the Dark Arts, and there are a couple who seem interested. We've told them to meet us in Hogsmeade."

"Right," said Harry vaguely, his mind still on Sirius.

"Don't worry, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "You've got enough on your plate without Sirius too."

She was quite right, of course; he was barely keeping up with his homework, though he was doing much better now that he was no longer spending every evening in detention with Umbridge. Ron was even further behind with his work than Harry, because while they both had Quidditch practices twice a week, Ron also had prefect duties. However, Hermione, who was taking more subjects than either of them, had not only finished all her homework but was also finding time to knit more elf clothes. Harry had to admit that Hermione was getting better at knitting; it was now almost always possible to distinguish between the hats and the socks. Alicia, while, had the extra subjects and Quidditch seemed to be keeping up with the work load as well as find the time to read her extra books just for her own curiosity.

The morning of the Hogsmeade visit dawned bright but windy. After breakfast they queued up in front of Filch, who matched their names to the long list of students who had permission from their parents or guardian to visit the village.

When Harry reached Filch, the caretaker gave a great sniff as though trying to detect a whiff of something from Harry. Then he gave a curt nod that set his jowls aquiver again and Harry walked on, out onto the stone steps and the cold, sunlit day.

"Er — why was Filch sniffing you?" asked Ron, as he, Alicia, Harry, and Hermione set off at a brisk pace down the wide drive to the gates.

Alicia started chuckling.

"I suppose he was checking for the smell of Dungbombs," said Harry with a small laugh. "I forgot to tell you…"

And he recounted the story of sending his letter to Sirius and Filch bursting in seconds later, demanding to see the letter. To his slight surprise, Hermione found this story highly interesting, much more, indeed, than he did himself.

"He said he was tipped off you were ordering Dungbombs? But who had tipped him off?"

"I dunno," said Harry, shrugging. "Maybe Malfoy, he'd think it was a laugh."

"I think it's a laugh." Alicia said laughing "But I didn't tell him I promise." when Harry rose an eyebrow at her.

They walked between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars and turned left onto the road into the village, the wind whipping their hair into their eyes.

"Malfoy?" said Hermione, very skeptically. "Well… yes… maybe…"

"To be honest if could be anyone these days." Alicia sighed and Hermione nodded. And she remained deep in thought all the way into the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

"Where are we going anyway?" Harry asked. "The Three Broomsticks?"

"Oh — no," said Hermione, coming out of her reverie, "no, it's always packed and really noisy. I've told the others to meet us in the Hog's Head, that other pub, you know the one, it's not on the main road. I think it's a bit…you know… _dodgy_ … but students don't normally go in there, so I don't think we'll be overheard."

"If you're worried about being over heard then the three broomsticks would definitely be better because it's noisy." Alicia admitted and Hermione shrugged.

They walked down the main street past Zonko's Joke Shop, where they were unsurprised to see Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, past the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals, and turned up a side street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture upon it of a wild boar's severed head leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. All three of them hesitated outside the door.

"Well, come on," said Hermione slightly nervously. Harry led the way inside.

It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog's Head bar comprised one small, dingy, and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be earthy, though as Harry stepped onto it he realised that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.

"I see what you mean." Alicia whispered "No wonder we've never been here." she mumbled

"Remember Hagrid mentioned this pub?" Harry asked "Yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head,"

"In our first year… didn't he meet Quirrell and get the Dragon Egg here?" Alicia asked

"Yeah, keeping his head hidden." Harry nodded as they glanced around.

It seemed this was the fashion of the Hog's Head. There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty grey bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth. Two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the windows; Harry might have thought them dementors if they had not been talking in strong Yorkshire accents; in a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her toes. They could just see the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.

"I don't know about this, Hermione," Harry muttered, as they crossed to the bar. He was looking particularly at the heavily veiled witch. "Has it occurred to you Umbridge might be under that?"

Hermione cast an appraising eye at the veiled figure.

"Umbridge is shorter than that woman," she said quietly. "And anyway, even if Umbridge does come in here there's nothing she can do to stop us, Harry, because I've double and triple-checked the school rules. We're not out-of-bounds; I specifically asked Professor Flitwick whether students were allowed to come in the Hog's Head, and he said yes, but he advised me strongly to bring our own glasses. And I've looked up everything I can think of about study groups and homework groups and they're definitely allowed. I just don't think it's a good idea if we parade what we're doing."

"Thorough." Alicia mumbled

"No," said Harry dryly, "especially as it's not exactly a homework group you're planning, is it?"

"Could be seen as one though." Alicia shrugged

The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long grey hair and beard. He was tall and thin and Alicia looked up at him surprised. There was something about him that she recognised, though she was sure she'd never seen him before… maybe she'd seen his dopple-ganger somewhere…?

"What?" he grunted.

"Four butterbeers, please," said Hermione.

The man reached beneath the counter and pulled up three very dusty, very dirty bottles, which he slammed on the bar.

"Eight Sickles," he said.

"I'll get them," said Harry quickly, passing over the silver. The barman's eyes traveled over Harry, resting for a fraction of a second on his scar. Then he turned away and deposited Harry's money in an ancient wooden till whose drawer slid open automatically to receive it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione retreated to the farthest table from the bar and sat down, Alicia glancing back at the man who looked at her as he finished despoiling the money before the man in the dirty grey bandages rapped the counter with his knuckles and received another smoking drink from the barman.

"You know what?" Ron murmured, looking over at the bar with enthusiasm. "We could order anything we liked in here, I bet that bloke would sell us anything, he wouldn't care. I've always wanted to try firewhisky —"

"You — are — a — _prefect_ ," snarled Hermione.

"Oh," said Ron, the smile fading from his face. "Yeah…"

"Poor Ron." Alicia sighed and he stuck his tongue out her "Oh you're so mature." she said laughing lightly.

"So who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?" Harry asked, wrenching open the rusty top of his butterbeer and taking a swig.

"Just a couple of people," Hermione repeated, checking her watch and then looking anxiously toward the door. "I told them to be here about now and I'm sure they all know where it is — oh look, this might be them now —"

The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people.

First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy that she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys, Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Terry Boot; Ginny, followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognised vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko's merchandise.

"A couple of people?" said Harry hoarsely to Hermione as Alicia blinked in surprise. "A _couple of people_?"

"Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular," said Hermione happily. "Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?"

The barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly he had never seen his pub so full.

"Hi," said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly. "Could we have… twenty-five butterbeers, please?"

The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty butterbeers from under the bar.

"Cheers," said Fred, handing them out. "Cough up, everyone, I haven't got enough gold for all of these…"

Alicia watched slightly worried.

"I'm feeling nervous all of a sudden." she mumbled and her brother nodded numbly as the large chattering group took their beers from Fred and rummaged in their robes to find coins. Alicia knew some people would believe her and Harry, she just wasn't sure how many… and what were they expecting? Harry and Alicia knew things and were willing to teach it to others. Were they seriously all interested in that?

"What have you been telling people?" Harry said in a low voice as he rounded on Hermione. "What are they expecting?"

"I've told you, they just want to hear what you've got to say," said Hermione soothingly; but Harry continued to look at her so furiously that she added quickly, "You don't have to do anything yet, I'll speak to them first. Plus Alicia's great with people."

"Yeah when I'm not being thought of as a lying git." Alicia grumbled to which Hermione shot her a disagreeing look.

"Hi, Harry," said Neville, beaming and taking a seat opposite Harry.

Harry tried to smile back, but did not speak; it looked like he's lost his words. Cho had just smiled at him and sat down on Ron's right. Her friend, who had curly reddish-blonde hair, did not smile, but gave Harry a thoroughly mistrustful look that told Harry plainly that, given her way, she would not be here at all.

"Hey Alicia." Anthony turned and sat near the four, Anthony grinning at Alicia as he was followed by Michael beside him, Ginny next and Terry last in a group.

"Hey." she said lightly with a nod.

In twos and threes the new arrivals settled around Harry, Ron, Alicia and Hermione, some looking rather excited, others curious, Luna Lovegood gazing dreamily into space. When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon the twins sitting beside one another.

"Er," said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. "Well — er — hi."

The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry or Alicia.

"Well… erm… well, you know why you're here. Erm… well, Harry here had the idea — I mean" — Harry had thrown her a sharp look — "I had the idea — that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defence Against the Dark Arts — and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us" — (Hermione's voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) — "because nobody could call that Defence Against the Dark Arts —"

"Hear, hear," said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened

"Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands."

She paused, looked sideways at Harry who looked at Alicia. Alicia however was looking at everyone around them, keeping her attention forwards.

"And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells —"

"You want to pass your Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?" said Michael Corner.

"Of course I do," said Hermione at once. "But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defence because… because…" She took a great breath and finished, "Because Lord Voldemort's back."

Alicia looked around expectantly, waiting for the doubt that could follow these words. The reactions were immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped butterbeer down herself, Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. All of them, however, looked fixedly, even eagerly, at Harry and Alicia

"Well… that's the plan anyway," said Hermione. "If you want to join us, we need to decide how we're going to —"

"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it —" Hermione began.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes _them_ ," said the blond boy, nodding at the green eyed twins.

"Who are you?" said Ron rather rudely.

"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes _him_ say You-Know-Who's back."

"Look," said Hermione, intervening swiftly, "that's really not what this meeting was supposed to be about —"

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry. Alicia was glaring at Zacharias and was looking around at a few others, wondering if this was their only purpose for coming to today. So many might not have cared about learning spells and passing their O. . No. They wanted to know what happened that day. They wanted to be told how Cedric died and how the twins had escaped.

Harry looked at Alicia and she gave him the strong look back, knowing he'd realised the same thing and she turned back to everyone with her lips pursed. Harry took this as an agreement and turned back to the blond Hufflepuff.

"What makes me say You-Know-Who's back?" he asked, looking Zacharias straight in the face. "Alicia and I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me, you don't believe Alicia, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."

The whole group seemed to have held its breath while Harry spoke. Harry had the impression that even the barman was listening in. He was wiping the same glass with the filthy rag; it was becoming steadily dirtier.

Zacharias said dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know —"

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."

He cast an angry look in Hermione's direction clearly blaming her for this but Alicia had gotten to her feet so everyone could see her and Harry looked surprised. Her expression was set as she took a breath.

"I can't say for all of you, but I'm gonna assumed some of you have lost people." She said, her voice calm and steady "For those of you who don't know what that feels like, it's not easy. It's only been a few months and talking about the horrors a person has seen is like reopening a flesh wound and letting it get infected." she admitted "Harry and I don't want to relay what happened because it's not a pleasant thing to think about. I know everyone wants to know what happened and that in a way telling the school might cause more people to believe what we're saying but, it's just too difficult at the moment to do so." she explained and everyone looked at her. Her words were soft and graceful, full of sympathy and hurt for Harry, herself and even those sitting around them frustratedly. "I'm sorry, but no matter how much people want to know, it's just not something we're capable of explaining yet. And if that's not good enough for you, like Harry said, we're happy to have you leave now." She remained standing as she looked at everyone who were looking at her with different expressions.

And yet, none of them, not even Zacharias Smith, who continued to gaze intently at Harry, left their seats. Hermione stood up with Alicia and gave her a glance to which Alicia nodded her head and turned back to everyone.

"So," said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched again. "So… like I was saying… if you want to learn some defence, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to —"

"Is it true," interrupted the girl with the long plait down her back, looking at Harry, "that you can produce a Patronus?"

There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.

"Yeah," said Harry slightly defensively.

"A corporeal Patronus?"

"Er — you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" he asked.

The girl smiled.

"She's my auntie," she said. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So — is it really true? You make a Patronus?"

"Yes," said Harry. "A stag. And Alicia's is an owl." he pointed to her and everyone turned to her as she smiled.

"Blimey, Harry!" said Lee, looking deeply impressed. "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," said Fred, grinning at Harry. "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," mumbled Harry and a couple of people laughed. The veiled witch sitting alone shifted very slightly in her seat.

"Well, you saw what the dementors did to us at the Quidditch game, and heard about the train ride in our third year, we decided we needed Professor Lupin to help us fend them off as they were causing such trouble." Alicia nodded.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded Terry Boot.

"Godric Gryffindor's sword." Alicia said and Terry nodded.

"That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year…"

"Er — yeah, I did, yeah," said Harry.

"After he got stabbed in the arm by it." Alicia added and a few gasped while Justin Finch-Fletchley whistled, the Creevey brothers exchanged awestruck looks, and Lavender Brown said "wow" softly.

"And in our first year," said Neville to the group at large "the two of them saved that Philosophical Stone —"

"Philosophers," hissed Hermione.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," finished Neville. Hannah Abbott's eyes were as round as Galleons.

"And that's not to mention," said Cho. Harry's eyes snapped onto her, she was looking at him, smiling. "all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year — getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and things…"

There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the table.

"Look," he said and everyone fell silent at once, "I… I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but… I had a lot of help with all that stuff… I wouldn't have gotten threw any of it without Alicia there." he said looking at her

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," said Michael Corner at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying…"

"Yeah, well —" said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.

"And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer," said Susan Bones.

"No," said Harry, "no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is —"

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" said Zacharias Smith.

"Here's an idea," said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, "why don't you shut your mouth?"

Perhaps the word "weasel" had affected Ron particularly strongly; in any case, he was now looking at Zacharias as though he would like nothing better than to thump him. Zacharias flushed.

"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's telling us he can't really do any of it," he said.

"That's not what he said," snarled Fred Weasley.

"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" inquired George, pulling a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from inside one of the Zonko's bags.

"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," said Fred.

"Boys." Alicia interjected and they stopped as she turned to Zacharias. "That's not what he was trying to do." and she looked at everyone "The point he was trying to make, is that none of that was as easy as it sounds. Some of the stuff we've learned took practice and the heat of the moment to work." she admitted "I guess it's another way of saying that some of this stuff might be tricky to teach as well as learn. We don't want you coming to us thinking we'll show you something and it'll be a walk in the park." she confessed "As Hermione pointed out a little while ago, some of the things Harry and I have done are past school standards." Alicia looked at the girl who nodded and looked at everyone.

"This'll be hard work." she said to them all "So… are we agreed we want to take lessons from Alicia and Harry?"

There was a murmur of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps this was because he was too busy keeping an eye on the instrument in George's hand.

"Right," said Hermione, looking relieved that something had at last been settled. "Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don't think there's any point in meeting less than once a week —"

"Hang on," said Angelina, "we need to make sure this doesn't clash with our Quidditch practice."

"No," said Cho, "nor with ours."

"Nor ours," added Zacharias Smith.

"I'm sure we can find a night that suits everyone," said Hermione, slightly impatiently, "but you know, this is rather important, we're talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort's Death Eaters —"

"Well said!" barked Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry had been expecting to speak long before this. "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!"

He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry, "Surely not!" When nobody spoke, he went on, "I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells —"

"We think the reason Umbridge doesn't want us trained in Defence Against the Dark Arts," said Hermione, "is that she's got some… some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he'd mobilise us against the Ministry."

"Which we can't do if we're useless at defending ourselves." Alicia nodded.

Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news; everybody except Luna Lovegood, who piped up, "Well, that makes sense. After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army."

"What?" said Harry, completely thrown by this unexpected piece of information.

"Yes, he's got an army of heliopaths," said Luna solemnly.

"No, he hasn't," snapped Hermione.

"Yes, he has," said Luna.

"What are heliopaths?" asked Neville, looking blank.

"They're spirits of fire," said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. "Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of —"

"They don't exist, Neville," said Hermione tartly.

"Oh yes they do!" said Luna angrily.

"I'm sorry, but where's the _proof_ of that?" snapped Hermione.

"There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you —"

" _Hem, hem_ ," said Ginny in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that several people looked around in alarm and then laughed. "Weren't we trying to decide how often we're going to meet and get Defence lessons?"

"Yes can you two just agree to disagree?" Alicia asked them "Everyone has their own beliefs let's not tell people off for having them." she said to the two girls. "So, a meeting place." she said to Hermione beside her

"Yes," said Hermione at once, "yes, we were, you're right…"

"Well, once a week sounds cool," said Lee Jordan.

"As long as —" began Angelina.

"Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch," said Hermione in a tense voice. "Well, the other thing to decide is where we're going to meet…"

This was rather more difficult; the whole group fell silent.

"Library?" suggested Katie Bell after a few moments.

"I can't see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library," said Harry.

"Especially as she doesn't like noise." Alicia nodded

"Maybe an unused classroom?" said Dean.

"Yeah," said Ron, "McGonagall might let us have hers, she did when Harry was practicing for the Triwizard…"

"Yes but that was a necessity to Harry's immediate life and was sort of a given. Unfortunately I doubt any of the teachers will allow us to be sending jinxes everywhere in a random class room and if Umbridge found us…" Alicia said before she paused looking at Hermione.

"Right, well, we'll try to find somewhere," said Hermione. "We'll send a message round to everybody when we've got a time and a place for the first meeting."

She rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something.

"I-I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think," she took a deep breath, "that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we're doing. So if you sign, you're agreeing not to tell Umbridge — or anybody else — what we're up to."

Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully put down his signature, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.

"Er…" said Zacharias slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass him. "Well… I'm sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is."

But Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing too. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"I — well, we are prefects," Ernie burst out. "And if this list was found… well, I mean to say… you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out…"

"You just said this group was the most important thing you'd do this year," Harry reminded him.

"I — yes," said Ernie, "yes, I do believe that, it's just…"

"If you don't sign the paper then you're not committed and we can't trust you not to tattle on us. And if that's the case, we can't risk telling you were we're meeting and when the meetings are, can we?" Alicia said strongly and a few looked at her, most seeing the relevance in her words.

"Ernie, do you really think I'd leave that list lying around?" said Hermione testily.

"No. No, of course not," said Ernie, looking slightly less anxious. "I — yes, of course I'll sign."

Nobody raised objections after Ernie, though Harry saw Cho's friend give her a rather reproachful look before adding her name. When the last person — Zacharias — had signed, Hermione took the parchment back and slipped it carefully into her bag. There was an odd feeling in the group now. It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract.

"Well, time's ticking on," said Fred briskly, getting to his feet. "George, Lee, and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we'll be seeing you all later."

In twos and threes the rest of the group took their leave too. Cho made rather a business of fastening the catch on her bag before leaving, her long dark curtain of hair swinging forward to hide her face, but her friend stood beside her, arms folded, clicking her tongue, so that Cho had little choice but to leave with her. As her friend ushered her through the door, Cho looked back and waved at Harry.

"Well, I think that went quite well," said Hermione happily, as she, Harry, Alicia and Ron walked out of the Hog's Head into the bright sunlight a few moments later, Harry and Ron still clutching their bottles of butterbeer.

"Alicia you did very well, kept your voice straighter than I did."

"Well, it's not at all helpful when you stutter along." Alicia grinned and Hermione shot her a look

"I guess that's proof you'll make a good teacher."

"Especially as she's considered it." Harry added

"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," said Ron, who was glowering after the figure of Smith just discernible in the distance.

"I don't like him much either," admitted Hermione, "but he overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table and he seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say? But the more people the better really — I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny and Anthony wasn't interested in Alicia —" she nudged the girl who rolled her eyes.

Ron, who had been draining the last few drops from his butterbeer bottle, gagged and sprayed butterbeer down his front.

"He's WHAT?" said Ron, outraged, his ears now resembling curls of raw beef. "She's going out with — my sister's going — what d'you mean, Michael Corner?"

"Well, that's why he and his friends came, I think — well, they're obviously interested in learning defence, but if Ginny hadn't told Michael what was going on —"

"When did this — when did she — ?"

"You do remember that we weren't supposed to tell him?" Alicia said to Hermione

"You — Alicia you — how come —" Ron stuttered

"Course I knew." Alicia nodded

"They met at the Yule Ball and they got together at the end of last year," said Hermione composedly. They had turned into the High Street and she paused outside Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where there was a handsome display of pheasant-feather quills in the window. "Hmm… I could do with a new quill."

She turned into the shop with Alicia. Harry and Ron followed her.  
"Which one was Michael Corner?" Ron demanded furiously.

"The dark one," said Hermione.

"I didn't like him," said Ron at once.

"Big surprise," said Hermione under her breath.

"But," said Ron, following Hermione along a row of quills in copper pots, "I thought Ginny fancied Harry!"

"You saying a girl can't change her mind?" Alicia asked him annoyed as Hermione looked at him rather pityingly and shook her head.

"Ginny _used_ to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago. Not that she doesn't like you, of course," she added kindly to Harry while she examined a long black-and-gold quill.

"So that's why she talks now?" he asked Hermione. "She never used to talk in front of me."

"Exactly, it also helps that she's not worried Alicia's gonna steal you anymore, now knowing your siblings and all." said Hermione. "Yes, I think I'll have this one…"

She went up to the counter and handed over fifteen Sickles and two Knuts, Ron still breathing down her neck.

"Ron," she said severely as she turned and trod on his feet, "this is exactly why Ginny hasn't told you she's seeing Michael, she knew you'd take it badly. So don't harp on about it, for heaven's sake."

"What d'you mean, who's taking anything badly? I'm not going to harp on about anything…"

"Well, on the bright side he's at least taking his position as the older brother seriously." Alicia said to Hermione who simply rolled her eyes.

Ron continued to chunter under his breath all the way down the street. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and then said in an undertone, while Ron was muttering imprecations about Michael Corner, "And talking about Michael and Ginny… what about Cho and you?"

"What d'you mean?" said Harry quickly as Alicia chuckled.

"Well," said Hermione, smiling slightly, "she just couldn't keep her eyes off you, could she?"

Harry had never before appreciated just how beautiful the village of Hogsmeade was and Alicia laughed as he suddenly radiated with glee.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

The sun survived for the entire weekend, and though Harry and Ron had to spend Sunday doing their homework to try and keep up, they moved outside into the sunshine to do it. They found a tree by the lake and lounged under the beech leaves, the boys spreading their books out.

Hermione, who of course was up to date with all her work, brought more wool outside with her and bewitched her knitting needles so that they flashed and clicked in midair beside her, producing more hats and scarves.

Alicia however had a pile of books and parchment in her arms as she joined them also, setting them down on the cool grass and pulling a piece of parchment out in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked her "I thought you were on top of your homework?"

"Oh I am." Alicia nodded "But I'm so ecstatic about yesterday that I couldn't help but start getting organised."

"Organised for what?" Harry asked her

"Our classes." she said obviously "I'm going to write down all the spells we've successfully done and practiced, you know, ones we'd be really good at and can teach others. Useful spells and jinxes to teach everyone." Alicia smiled "I brought all my charm and spells books to go through when I come at a loss of more to add and I'm going to see if there are any advanced ones that could be useful to learn to then teach everyone." she said

"That's a great idea." Hermione thought

"We'll as I have the free time I thought why not?" Alicia smiled and Harry looked at her almost annoyed

"What?" she asked him

"Well… it's that that… I've sort of—"

"Already started planning lessons?" she asked with a grin and he flushed slightly in the face.

"That's good." Hermione beamed

"Of course it is. But you're mind will only store so much and it's good to have a list of things in case there's something we miss." Alicia shrugged "Plus I really really want to." she beamed before putting her quill to her parchment and beginning to write.

"And this way we can sort of put them in order."

"In order?" Rona asked as he looked through a book to add some information to his essay

"Well there are some spells we probably shouldn't start off with right at the beginning." Alicia said as she wrote "Like the Patronus charm. I gather many people will be interested in that but perhaps stunning would be a better place to start, get them to know the easier ones first before we spend a few weeks on others you know? If something's going to take a while it's best not to do it first or you'll loose time to do the easier ones." Alicia said as she scratched some more spells down.

"Wow, you've really thought about this…?" Harry realised

"It's good to be prepared and have a sort of plan." Alicia shrugged grinning.

"It's almost as if you want to show off how much you know." Ron said and Alicia looked up in silence.

"Well I definitely don't want to boast, but I do love spell work." she grinned and Ron looked at her shocked. Hermione sighed and Harry chuckled slightly.

The day remained sunny and warm and the three stayed outside, Alicia deciding to summon some food instead of the four leaving for the Great Hall at lunch time.

Despite Monday's being a rather annoying day — though the girls had Arithmancy as a break while the boys had to go through Divination — Alicia was rather happy when she got up that morning for classes. Hermione was already getting dressed and Alicia began to do the same as they said good morning. The two girls paused however when they heard a loud, wailing, klaxon like sound from outside the dormitory door. Alicia started chuckling.

"Boys." Hermione said rolling her eyes

"I love it when that happens." Alicia grinned "Now we get to slide down the stairs!" and she took Hermione's arm to lead the way to the stairs, only now, they'd melted together to create a smooth stone slide.

"Er — I don't think we're allowed in the girls' dormitories," Harry's voice floated up the staircase and sounded rather hard as though he wasn't trying to laugh.

"Oooh, who tried to get upstairs?" said a few girls giggling happily as Hermione and Alicia reached the slide.

"Me," Ron's voice followed. "I didn't realise that would happen. It's not fair!" he complained as Hermione went first down the slide. "Hermione and Alicia are allowed in our dormitory, how come we're not allowed — ?"

"Well, it's an old-fashioned rule," said Hermione, who had just slid neatly onto a rug in front of them and was now getting to her feet, "but it says in Hogwarts, A History that the founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls." Alicia came sliding down afterwards laughing as she laid on her carpet.

"It's such a better way to exit the dormitories if you ask me, increases our moods so much better." she said laughing as Harry, grinning at her, offered a hand and helped her to her feet.

"Anyway, why were you trying to get in there?"

"To see you two — look at this!" said Ron, dragging Hermione over to the notice board. Alicia followed and looked surprised.

A large sign had been affixed to the Gryffindor notice board, so large that it covered everything else on there — the lists of second-hand spell-books for sale, the regular reminders of school rules from Argus Filch, the Quidditch team training schedule, the offers to barter certain Chocolate Frog cards for others, the Weasleys' new advertisement for testers, the dates of the Hogsmeade weekends, and the lost-and-found notices. The new sign was printed in large black letters and there was a highly official-looking seal at the bottom beside a neat and curly signature.

— BY ORDER OF —

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts

All Student Organisations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.

An Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.

Permission to re-form may be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).

No Student Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.

Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organisation, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.

Signed:

Dolores Jane Umbridge

HIGH INQUISITOR

Alicia's eyes narrowed and her happy mood diminished into annoyance. Hermione's expression beside her became stony.

"Someone must have blabbed to her!" Ron said angrily.

"They can't have done," said Hermione in a low voice.

"You're so naive," said Ron, "you think just because you're all honourable and trustworthy —"

"No, they can't have done because I put a jinx on that piece of parchment we all signed," said Hermione grimly. "Believe me, if anyone's run off and told Umbridge, we'll know exactly who they are and they will really regret it."

"What'll happen to them?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well, put it this way," said Hermione, "it'll make Eloise Midgen's acne look like a couple of cute freckles. Come on, let's get down to breakfast and see what the others think… I wonder whether this has been put up in all the Houses?"

"Seeing as it's a decree I'm assuming it has." Alicia nodded "Clever to make it about all organisations." she grumbled before she paused.

"Hang on," she said "Groups of more than three people? Doesn't that include Quidditch!?" she demands angrily and the boys looked surprised and shared a look. "Oh I hate her!" Alicia snapped angrily as they walked down the corridors.

It was immediately apparent on entering the Great Hall that Umbridge's sign had not only appeared in Gryffindor Tower. There was a peculiar intensity about the chatter and an extra measure of movement in the Hall as people scurried up and down their tables conferring on what they had read. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had barely taken their seats when Neville, Dean, Fred, George, and Ginny descended upon them.

"Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What are we going to do?"

They were all looking at Harry. Harry turned to Alicia who looked more than annoyed beside them and her expression was determined.

"Don't you dare decide not to do anything." Alicia said

"We're going to do it anyway, of course," Harry agreed quietly.

"Knew you'd say that," said George, beaming and thumping Harry on the arm.

"The prefects as well?" said Fred, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione.

"Of course," said Hermione coolly.

"Here comes Ernie and Hannah Abbott," said Ron, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith… and no one looks very spotty."

Hermione looked alarmed.

"Damn they're stupid." Alicia said looked surprised

"Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious — sit down!" she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. Alicia was shaking her head at them as she did. "Later! We'll — talk — to — you — _later_!"

"I'll tell Michael," said Ginny impatiently, swinging herself off her bench. "The fool, honestly… Alicia."

They girl nodded and got up with Ginny to move off to the Ravenclaw table.

"What's going on?" Anthony asked "Did you see the notice?"

"Yeah it's up in all the houses apparently." Alicia answered

"So what?" Michael asked Ginny

"We're still doing it." Alicia said "I don't care about Umbridge's rules and anything to get under her skin, as long you're all still willing to go behind her back." her voice was low and quite as Cho sat down beside them.

"Did you see the notice?" she asked

"Yeah. Don't worry, Hermione, Ron, Harry and I'll have a talk about it over the day and we'll get back to you all later. We were already doing it behind Umbridge's back and in my opinion a decree doesn't change anything. Just stay low and tell any of the others if you can to hold out until we've properly thought it over." Alicia said to them and they all nodded "If one of you could tell Ernie or any of the other Hufflepuffs later on that'd be awesome." and she held her thumbs up.

Alicia turned to Anthony and he looked very surprised as she suddenly kissed his cheek before turning to go back to the Gryffindor table.

"What was that?" Harry questioned her

"Well wouldn't it look weird if I just went over and started talking to them lowly? I just gave a reason as to why I'd be other there." she shrugged as she sat down to begin eating her breakfast. Harry looked at Ron who was still watching Ginny at the Ravenclaw table with narrowed eyes.

The four left the Great Hall together after they'd finished eating to head for History of Magic before Alicia, Ron and Harry turned at the sound of their names.

Angelina was hurrying towards them looked perfectly desperate.

"It's okay," said Harry quietly, when she was near enough to hear him. "We're still going to —"

"You realise she's including Quidditch in this?" Angelina said over him. "We have to go and ask permission to re-form the Gryffindor team!"

"Yeah I guessed that earlier." Alicia grumbled

"No way!" Ron said, appalled.

"You read the sign, it mentions teams too! So listen, Harry… I am saying this for the last time… Please, _please_ don't lose your temper with Umbridge again or she might not let us play anymore!"

"Or worse she might just kick us off the team!" Alicia said turning to Harry with horror. Alicia looked at her brother angrily and he shied away surprised.

"Just say nothing!" she decided forcefully at him.

"What about you?" Harry asked her

"Well as long as my Quidditch time, which is the only thing keeping my anger in check, is on the line I think I can manage." she said looking at Angelina. The girl looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Okay, okay," said Harry. "Don't worry, I'll behave myself…"

"I'll make sure of it." Alicia nodded and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Bet Umbridge is in History of Magic," said Ron grimly, as they set off for Binns's lesson. "She hasn't inspected Binns yet… Bet you anything she's there…"

"Can she though? I mean can you really fire a teacher who had such a passion about his work that even his death didn't stop him?" Alicia wondered "And how that'll work, I mean she cant really stop him… he's a ghost." she said.

It turned out Ron was wrong. the only teacher present when they entered was Professor Binns, floating an inch or so above his chair as usual and preparing to continue his monotonous drone on giant wars.

Alicia pulled out her piece of parchment from the day before with her list of spells on it and began to add more to it while only just noticing Binns' draining voice.

"Alicia," Hermione muttered and she looked at the girl who pointed to the window. Alicia looked up and was surprised to see Hedwig perched on the narrow window ledge, gazing through the thick glass at Harry, a letter tied to her leg.

Alicia looked confused, they'd just had breakfast so why hadn't Hedwig come then?

Alicia nudged Harry who was doodling on his parchment and he looked at her before she nodded, her confused look still in place, to the window where he noticed Hedwig as well.

Many of their classmates were pointing out Hedwig to each other too.

"Oh, I've always loved that owl, she's so beautiful," Harry heard Lavender sigh to Parvati.

Harry looked at Alicia who shrugged as she looked at Binns.

"I don't think he'd notice." she whispered as the ghost continued to read his notes, unaware of the classes attention was even less focused on him than usual.

Harry slipped quietly off his chair, crouched down, and hurried along the row to the window, where he slid the catch and opened it very slowly.

Hedwig, in an unusual manner, hopped inside and hooting dolefully instead of allowing Harry to take the letter and then disappearing to the Owlery. Harry closed the window with an anxious glance at Professor Binns, crouched low again, and sped back to his seat with Hedwig on his shoulder. He regained his seat, transferred Hedwig to his lap, and made to remove the letter tied to her leg.

Alicia looked at Hedwig before her eyes widened with concern. Hedwig's feathers were oddly ruffled; some were bent the wrong way, and she was holding one of her wings at an odd angle.

"She's hurt!" Harry whispered, bending his head low over her. Hermione and Ron leaned in closer; Hermione even put down her quill. "Look — there's something wrong with her wing —"

Hedwig was quivering; when Harry made to touch the wing she gave a little jump, all her feathers on end as though she was inflating herself, and gazed at him reproachfully.

Harry and Alicia shared a fearful look for the snowy owl and instantly turned to Professor Binns.

"Professor Binns," said both twins loudly, and everyone in the class turned to look at them. "I'm not feeling well."

Professor Binns raised his eyes from his notes, looking amazed, as always, to find the room in front of him full of people.

"Not feeling well?" he repeated hazily.

"Not at all well," said Harry firmly, getting to his feet while concealing Hedwig behind his back.

"I've got cramps sir and it's really painful." Alicia said as she stood up and most of the boys winced and looked discouraged as the girl either looked sorry for her or chuckled at the boys reactions.

"So we'll need to go to the hospital wing." Harry said after glancing Alicia a look.

"Yes," said Professor Binns, clearly very much wrong-footed. "Yes… yes, hospital wing… well, off you go, then, Perkins…"

And the two left the room quickly, Harry returning Hedwig to his shoulder once they were outside the classroom.

"What could have happened?" Harry asked

"Well the only thing I can think of is someone tried to intercept your mail." Alicia said angry and fearful for the bird.

"What?"

"Well she would have put up a struggle, Hedwig's that kind of owl…" she looked at the white bird.

"What do we do?" Harry asked "I mean… usually…"

"Hagrid." Alicia nodded "But he's not back."

"But…"

"I guess we'll have to ask Grubbly-Plank." Alicia thought "She's the only one I can think of… other than Dumbledore himself." she grumbled and looked at Harry who pulled the same kind of expression.

Harry looked outside the window to the overcast grounds towards Hagrid's cabin but there was no one in sight. He looked at Alicia who nodded her head.

"Staffroom." Alicia nodded. "Quick." and they set off down the corridor quickly. Hedwig hooted feebly as she swayed on Harry's shoulder.

Two stone gargoyles flanked the staffroom door. As Harry approached, one of them croaked, "You two should be in class, sunny Jim."

"This is urgent," said Harry curtly.

"Ooooh, _urgent_ , is it?" said the other gargoyle in a high-pitched voice. "Well, that's put us in our place, hasn't it?"

"Sorry but this is more important than classes." Alicia nodded as Harry reached to knock on the door. They heard footsteps and then the door opened and he found himself face-to-face with Professor McGonagall.

"You haven't been given another detention!" she said at once, her square spectacles flashing alarmingly.

"No, Professor!" said Harry hastily.

"Well then, why are you out of class?"

"It's _urgent_ , apparently," said the second gargoyle snidely.

"It's Hedwig." Alicia said worried.

"I'm looking for Professor Grubbly-Plank," Harry explained. "It's my owl, she's injured."

"Injured owl, did you say?"

Professor Grubbly-Plank appeared at Professor McGonagall's shoulder, smoking a pipe and holding a copy of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Yes," said Harry, lifting Hedwig carefully off his shoulder, "she turned up after the other post owls and her wing's all funny, look —"

Professor Grubbly-Plank stuck her pipe firmly between her teeth and took Hedwig from Harry while Professor McGonagall watched.

"Hmm," said Professor Grubbly-Plank, her pipe waggling slightly as she talked. "Looks like something's attacked her. Can't think what would have done it, though… Thestrals will sometimes go for birds, of course, but Hagrid's got the Hogwarts thestrals well trained not to touch owls…"

"Professor…" Alicia said carefully "I don't want to jump to conclusions but uh… could it be that someone might have tried to… intercept her?" she asked and McGonagall looked at her and then to Harry.

"Well…" Grubbly-Plank thought it over before turning to Harry again. "Do you know how far this owl's traveled, Potter?"

"Er," said Harry. "From London, I think."

He met McGonagall's eyes briefly and knew that she understood "London" to mean "number twelve, Grimmauld Place" by the way her eyebrows had joined in the middle.

Professor Grubbly-Plank pulled a monocle out of the inside of her robes and screwed it into her eye to examine Hedwig's wing closely. "I should be able to sort this out if you leave her with me, Potter," she said. "She shouldn't be flying long distances for a few days, in any case."

"Thank you." Alicia said looking relieved.

"Er — right — thanks," said Harry, just as the bell rang for break.

"No problem," said Professor Grubbly-Plank gruffly, turning back into the staffroom.

"Just a moment, Wilhelmina!" said Professor McGonagall. "Potter's letter!"

"Oh yeah!" said Harry, who had momentarily forgotten the scroll tied to Hedwig's leg. Professor Grubbly-Plank handed it over and then disappeared into the staffroom carrying Hedwig, who was staring at Harry as though unable to believe he would give her away like this.

"Don't worry Hedwig." Alicia called after the bird, feeling really guilty for leaving her. Harry took her hand to leave the staffroom when McGonagall stopped them.

"Potter!"

"Yes, Professor?"

She glanced up and down the corridor; there were students coming from both directions.

"Bear in mind," she said quickly and quietly, her eyes on the scroll in his hand, "that channels of communication in and out of Hogwarts may be being watched, won't you?"

"I —" said Harry, but the flood of students rolling along the corridor was almost upon him. Professor McGonagall gave him a curt nod and retreated into the staffroom.

"Someone is really testing me by hurting Hedwig." Alicia cracked quietly as she and Harry were swept out into the courtyard with the crowd. Harry glanced at her before they he spotted Ron and Hermione already standing in a sheltered corner, their cloak collars turned up against the wind. Harry slit open the scroll as he hurried toward them and found five words in Sirius's handwriting:

 _Today, same time, same place._

"Is Hedwig okay?" asked Hermione anxiously, the moment he was within earshot.

"Where did you take her?" asked Ron.

"To Grubbly-Plank," said Harry. "And I met McGonagall… Listen…" And he told them what Professor McGonagall had said. Neither looked shocked but changed a significant look.

"What?" said Harry, looking from Ron to Hermione and back again.

"Well, I was just saying to Ron… what if someone had tried to intercept Hedwig? I mean, she's never been hurt on a flight before, has she?"

"I said the same." Alicia said glancing at Harry with an angry frown.

"Who's the letter from anyway?" asked Ron, taking the note from Harry.

"Snuffles," said Harry quietly.

" 'Same time, same place'? Does he mean the fire in the common room?"

"Obviously," said Hermione, also reading the note. She looked uneasy. "I just hope nobody else has read this…"

"But it was still sealed and everything," said Harry, trying to convince himself as much as her. "And nobody would understand what it meant if they didn't know where we'd spoken to him before, would they?"

"It is so simple that no one would be able to understand. And with no name, nickname or not, on it…" Alicia said hopefully. "Plus only Gryffindors can get to the common room anyway." she said trying to sound more reassuring with each word.

"I don't know," said Hermione anxiously, hitching her bag back over her shoulder as the bell rang again. "It wouldn't be exactly difficult to reseal the scroll by magic… And if anyone's watching the Floo Network… but I don't really see how we can warn him not to come without that being intercepted too!"

They trudged down the stone steps to the dungeons for Potions, all four of them lost in thought, but as they reached the bottom of the stairs they were recalled to themselves by the voice of Draco Malfoy, who was standing just outside Snape's classroom door, waving around an official-looking piece of parchment and talking much louder than was necessary so that they could hear every word.

"Yeah, Umbridge gave the Slytherin Quidditch team permission to continue playing straightaway, I went to ask her first thing this morning. Well, it was pretty much automatic, I mean, she knows my father really well, he's always popping in and out of the Ministry… It'll be interesting to see whether Gryffindor are allowed to keep playing, wont it?"

"Don't rise," Hermione whispered imploringly to Harry and Ron, who were both watching Malfoy, faces set and fists clenched. Alicia however was rising an eyebrow and her mind clicked over as she watched him seemingly unaffected "It's what he wants…"

"I mean," said Malfoy, raising his voice a little more, his grey eyes glittering malevolently in Harry and Ron's direction, "if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance… From what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years…"

Malfoy made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter, Pansy Parkinson shrieked with glee.

"Oh Malfoy isn't that wonderful." Alicia said smiling and everyone looked at her surprised, Malfoy included "With Gryffindor out Slytherin might finally be able to touch the cup." she said and the Gryffindors grinned and some laughed "Then again," her expression turned concerned "You wont ever be able to see Harry… I wonder if you could live with such separation anxiety, as you're always searching him out to spend time with him?" and the Gryffindors howled with laughter as Malfoy looked at her angry. He turned to his fellow Slytherins and continued as thought trying to get her back.

"And as for the _apparent_ Potters…" he sent Alicia a look, his teeth gritted as he tried not to let her words look as though they affected him. "My father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has them carted off to St. Mungo's… apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic…"

Something collided hard with Harry's shoulder, knocking him sideways into Alicia who looked surprised. A split second later they realised that Neville had just charged past him, heading straight for Malfoy.

"Neville, _no_!"

Harry leapt forward and seized the back of Neville's robes; Neville struggled frantically, his fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Malfoy who looked, for a moment, extremely shocked.

"Help me!" Harry flung at Ron, managing to get an arm around Neville's neck and dragging him backward, away from the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were now flexing their arms, closing in front of Malfoy, ready for the fight. Ron hurried forward and seized Neville's arms; together, he and Harry succeeded in dragging Neville back into the Gryffindor line. Neville's face was scarlet; the pressure Harry was exerting on his throat rendered him quite incomprehensible, but odd words spluttered from his mouth.

"Not… funny… don't… Mungo's… show… him…"

"Neville, stop." Alicia said to him, standing in front of him to block Malfoy from his vision,

The dungeon door opened and Alicia spun around to see Snape appear there. His black eyes swept up the Gryffindor line to the point where Harry and Ron were wrestling with Neville.

"Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" Snape said in his cold, sneering voice. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you."

Harry let go of Neville, who stood panting and glaring at him.

"I had to stop you," Harry gasped, picking up his bag. "Crabbe and Goyle would've torn you apart."

Neville said nothing, he merely snatched up his own bag and stalked off into the dungeon.

"What in the name of Merlin," said Ron slowly, as they followed Neville, "was that about?"

Alicia and Harry shared a glance frowning. The two of them knew exactly what that was about. Why the subject of who were in St Mungo's because of magical damage to their brains was highly distressing to Neville. But both had promised to never tell anyone Neville's secret as promised by Dumbledore. Even Neville didn't know the twins knew.

Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione took their usual seats at the back of the class and pulled out parchment, quills, and their copies of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. The class around them was whispering about what Neville had just done, but when Snape closed the dungeon door with an echoing bang everybody fell silent immediately.

"You will notice," said Snape in his low, sneering voice, "that we have a guest with us today."

He gestured toward the dim corner of the dungeon, and they saw Professor Umbridge sitting there, clipboard on her knee. Alicia and Harry shared a glance before looking sideways at Ron and Hermione. Snape and Umbridge, the two teachers the twins hated most… Alicia wasn't sure how to feel, whether they would both pick on her and Harry, whether Snape would put Umbridge in her place, or the other way around… it was hard to decide which she would prefer to triumph over the other.

Alicia looked at Harry who looked between the two teachers himself, perhaps wondering the same thing.

"We are continuing with our Strengthening Solutions today, you will find your mixtures as you left them last lesson, if correctly made they should have matured well over the weekend — instructions" — he waved his wand again — "on the board. Carry on."

Professor Umbridge spent the first half hour of the lesson making notes in her corner. It seemed Harry's focus was all on Umbridge for be began to make mistakes with his potion as he had done in their first lesson.

"Salamander blood, Harry!" Hermione moaned, grabbing his wrist to prevent him adding the wrong ingredient for the third time. "Not pomegranate juice!"

"Harry, I know you want to know what's going on but you'll be in a right state if Snape removes your potion again." Alicia warned

"Right," said Harry vaguely, putting down the bottle and continuing to watch the corner. Umbridge had just gotten to her feet.

Alicia turned to her potion and added the next ingredient before turning to Umbridge who had strode between two lines of desks toward Snape, who was bending over Dean Thomas's cauldron.

"Well, the class seems fairly advanced for their level," she said briskly to Snape's back. "Though I would question whether it is advisable to teach them a potion like the Strengthening Solution. I think the Ministry would prefer it if that was removed from the syllabus."

Snape straightened up slowly and turned to look at her.

"Now… how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard.

"Fourteen years," Snape replied. His expression was unfathomable.

Alicia thought the number over… Snape had been at Hogwarts her entire life… As Voldemort had been done in with, accidentally, fourteen years ago. Does that mean he really was on Dumbledore's side…?

"You applied first for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape.

"Yes," said Snape quietly.

"But you were unsuccessful?"

Snape's lip curled.

"Obviously."

Professor Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard.

"And you have applied regularly for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?"

"Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry.

"Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" asked Umbridge.

"I suggest you ask him," said Snape jerkily.

"Oh I shall," said Professor Umbridge with a sweet smile.

"I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his black eyes narrowed.

"Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers' — er — backgrounds…" Alicia glared and quickly returned to her potion before any damage could be done to it.

The man moved over to their table and noticed Harry's potion was giving off a strong smell of burned rubber as it congealed foully.

"No marks again, then, Potter," said Snape maliciously, emptying Harry's cauldron with a wave of his wand. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?"

"Yes," said Harry furiously.

Alicia released a breath, they had Quidditch practice that evening and already Harry was overwhelmed with homework. No surprise he'd be up the next few nights which meant worse performance during classes and probably more homework in her opinion.

"How are you going to manage this one?" Alicia asked as they returned to the courtyard after Lunch. "You can't stay up every night or you'll just end up getting more things wrong and get given more homework." she expressed her opinion and Harry looked glum.

"Maybe I'll skive off Divination," he said as the wind whipping at the hems of robes and brims of hats. "I'll pretend to be ill and do Snape's essay instead, then I won't have to stay up half the night…"

"You can't skive off Divination," said Hermione severely.

"Hark who's talking, you walked out of Divination, you hate Trelawney!" said Ron indignantly.

"I don't hate her," said Hermione loftily. "I just think she's an absolutely appalling teacher and a real old fraud… But Harry's already missed History of Magic and I don't think he ought to miss anything else today!"

"Personally I'd rather he skipped Divination then didn't sleep Hermione. Sleep keeps him healthy after all." Alicia said

It seemed however that Harry agreed with Hermione and ended up going to Divination with Ron as the girls headed to Arithmancy. But apparently the class wasn't compared to normal.

"You and Umbridge have got something in common," Harry told Hermione quietly when they met again in Defence Against the Dark Arts. "She obviously reckons Trelawney's an old fraud too… Looks like she's put her on probation."

"Better hope she doesn't get fired though, cause if Umbridge is allowed to pick who teaches the class after…" Alicia said and the boys shared a look, not sure if this was a good thing or not.

Umbridge entered the room as he spoke, wearing her black velvet bow and an expression of great smugness.

"Good afternoon, class."

"Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge," they chanted drearily.

"Wands away, please…"

But there was no answering flurry of movement this time; nobody had bothered to take out their wands.

"Please turn to page thirty-four of Defensive Magical Theory and read the third chapter, entitled 'The Case for Non-Offensive Responses to Magical Attack.' There will be —"

"— no need to talk," Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione said together under their breaths.

* * *

"No Quidditch practice," said Angelina in hollow tones when Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the common room that night after dinner.

"But I kept my temper!" said Harry, horrified. "I didn't say anything to her, Angelina, I swear, I —"

"I know, I know," said Angelina miserably. "She just said she needed a bit of time to consider."

"Consider what?" said Ron angrily. "She's given the Slytherins permission, why not us?"

"I'll give you one guess." Alicia said angrily "Punishment. Just for sake of it."

"Punishment for what?"

"Harry and I. Or maybe just Gryffindor as a whole." she shrugged

"Hold it over our heads…" Harry said seeming to agree

"Well," said Hermione, "look on the bright side — at least now you'll have time to do Snape's essay!"

"That's a bright side, is it?" snapped Harry, while Ron stared incredulously at Hermione. "No Quidditch practice and extra Potions?"

"It is if you get to sleep instead." Alicia decided

Harry slumped down into a chair, dragged his Potions essay reluctantly from his bag, and set to work.

There was an incredible amount of noise in the room while the three worked. Fred and George it seemed had finally perfected one type of Skiving Snackbox, which they were taking turns to demonstrate to a cheering and whooping crowd.

First, Fred would take a bite out of the orange end of a chew, at which he would vomit spectacularly into a bucket they had placed in front of them. Then he would force down the purple end of the chew, at which the vomiting would immediately cease. Lee Jordan, who was assisting the demonstration, was lazily vanishing the vomit at regular intervals with the same Vanishing Spell Snape kept using on Harry's potions. On top of this Hermione was heaving disapproved sniffs as she watched them to which Harry became quite irritated about.

"Just go and stop them, then!" he said irritably, after crossing out the wrong weight of powdered griffin claw for the fourth time.

"I can't, they're not _technically_ doing anything wrong," said Hermione through gritted teeth. "They're quite within their rights to eat the foul things themselves, and I can't find a rule that says the other idiots aren't entitled to buy them, not unless they're proven to be dangerous in some way, and it doesn't look as though they are…"

She, Alicia, Harry, and Ron watched George projectile-vomit into the bucket, gulp down the rest of the chew, and straighten up, beaming with his arms wide to protracted applause.

"You know, I don't get why Fred and George only got three O.W.L.s each," said Harry, watching as Fred, George, and Lee collected gold from the eager crowd. "They really know their stuff…"

"Oh, they only know flashy stuff that's no real use to anyone," said Hermione disparagingly.

"No real use?" said Ron in a strained voice. "Hermione, they've got about twenty-six Galleons already…"

"Plus they do know things Hermione. They'd need to understand the mixes of potions, certain spells and all about different ingredients and their properties to be able to properly make what they are." Alicia believed.

It was a long while before the crowd around the Weasleys dispersed, and then Fred, Lee, and George sat up counting their takings even longer, so that it was well past midnight when Harry, Ron, Alicia and Hermione finally had the common room to themselves again. At long last, Fred closed the doorway to the boys' dormitories behind him, rattling his box of Galleons ostentatiously so that Hermione scowled. Harry, who was making very little progress with his Potions essay, decided to give it up for the night. As he put his books away, Ron, who was dozing lightly in an armchair, gave a muffled grunt, awoke, looked blearily into the fire and said, "Sirius!"

Harry whipped around; Sirius's untidy dark head was sitting in the fire again.

"Hi," he said, grinning.

"Hi," chorused Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all three kneeling down upon the hearthrug. Crookshanks purred loudly and approached the fire, trying, despite the heat, to put his face close to Sirius'.

"Well." Alicia said clearly still annoyed at him. The three looked at her as she crossed her arms and Sirius gave her a guilty smile.

"I'm sorry Alicia."

"You should be." She said before joining them on the rug anyway.

"How're things?" said Sirius.

"Not that good," said Harry, as Hermione pulled Crookshanks back to stop him singeing his whiskers. "The Ministry's forced through another decree, which means we're not allowed to have Quidditch teams —"

"— or secret Defence Against the Dark Arts groups?" said Sirius. There was a short pause.

"How did you know about that?" Harry demanded.

"You want to choose your meeting places more carefully," said Sirius, grinning still more broadly. "The Hog's Head, I ask you…"

"Well, it was better than the Three Broomsticks!" said Hermione defensively. "That's always packed with people —"

"— which means you'd have been harder to overhear," said Sirius. "You've got a lot to learn, Hermione."

Alicia looked at Hermione who avoided her gaze and Sirius and her shared a grin.

"Yes but we would have also had been really obvious as a big meeting group." Alicia said "It might have caught a little more attention." she said

"Who overheard us?" Harry demanded ignoring the girl's beliefs.

"Mundungus, of course," said Sirius, and when they all looked puzzled he laughed. "He was the witch under the veil."

"That was Mundungus?" Harry said, stunned. "What was he doing in the Hog's Head?"

"What do you think he was doing?" said Sirius impatiently. "Keeping an eye on you, of course."

"I'm still being followed?" asked Harry angrily. He looked at Alicia who looked innocently back, she hadn't know.

"Yeah, you are," said Sirius, "and just as well, isn't it, if the first thing you're going to do on your weekend off is organise an illegal defence group."

"Well what do you expect?" Alicia demanded "What with toad-face going about things her way."

Sirius however looked neither angry nor worried at this news of their plans. On the contrary, he was looking at Harry and Alicia with distinct pride.

"Why was Dung hiding from us?" asked Ron, sounding disappointed. "We'd've liked to've seen him."

"He was banned from the Hog's Head twenty years ago," said Sirius, "and that barman's got a long memory. We lost Moody's spare Invisibility Cloak when Sturgis was arrested, so Dung's been dressing as a witch a lot lately…"

"Plus, probably best people don't see us conversing with him in public." Alicia thought and Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Anyway… First of all, Ron — I've sworn to pass on a message from your mother."

"Oh yeah?" said Ron, sounding apprehensive.

"She says on no account whatsoever are you to take part in an illegal secret Defence Against the Dark Arts group. She says you'll be expelled for sure and your future will be ruined. She says there will be plenty of time to learn how to defend yourself later and that you are too young to be worrying about that right now. She also" — Sirius's eyes turned to the other three — "advises Alicia, Harry and Hermione not to proceed with the group, though she accepts that she has no authority over either of them —"

"About time she figured that out." Alicia said

"— and simply begs them to remember that she has their best interests at heart. She would have written all this to you, but if the owl had been intercepted you'd all have been in real trouble, and she can't say it for herself because she's on duty tonight."

"On duty doing what?" said Ron quickly.

"Never you mind, just stuff for the Order," said Sirius.

"Probably guarding the weapon." Alicia said and the four looked at her. "What?" she asked but grinning slightly

"Well, because of that, it's fallen to me to be the messenger and make sure you tell her I passed it all on, because I don't think she trusts me to."

"That's a surprise." Alicia smirked as Crookshanks, meowing, attempted to paw Sirius's head, and Ron fiddled with a hole in the hearthrug.

"So you want me to say I'm not going to take part in the defence group?" he muttered finally.

"Me? Certainly not!" said Sirius, looking surprised. "I think it's an excellent idea!"

"You do?" said Harry, his heart lifting.

"Of course I do!" said Sirius. "D'you think your father and I would've lain down and taken orders from an old hag like Umbridge?"

"But — last term all you did was tell me to be careful and not take risks —"

"Last year all the evidence was that someone inside Hogwarts was trying to kill you, Harry!" said Sirius impatiently. "This year we know that there's someone outside Hogwarts who'd like to kill us all, so I think learning to defend yourselves properly is a very good idea!"

"And if we do get expelled?" Hermione asked, a quizzical look on her face.

"Hermione, this whole thing was your idea!" said Harry, staring at her.

"I know it was… I just wondered what Sirius thought," she said, shrugging.

"Well, better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue," said Sirius.

"Hear, hear," said Harry and Ron enthusiastically.

"Wait, first, Sirius, I just remembered." Alicia said quickly and everyone looked at her confused "While we're on the subject of killing and interference…" she said "It's Hedwig." she said and the three around her remembered "She came back injured and her feathers ruffled rather badly, and she came after breakfast while we were in History of Magic."

"What?" Sirius asked concerned

"Hermione and I think someone tried to intercept her and read your letter. It was still sealed so we don't know if anyone had but I figured I should probably tell you and say, no more fire visits after this. We couldn't risk sending a letter back in case that was intercepted as well to tell you not to come." she said

"And McGonagall said that Hogwarts is being watched." Harry added

"It wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't." Sirius muttered annoyed "Is Hedwig alright?" he asked

"She's being taken care of by Professor Grubbly-Plank." Harry admitted

"But I suggest not using her or Noel for a while, they're too easily recognised." Alicia frowned and Sirius nodded in agreement before the grim faces disappeared when Sirius changed the topic.

"So," said Sirius, "how are you organising this group? Where are you meeting?"

"Well, that's a bit of a problem now," said Harry. "Dunno where we're going to be able to go…"

"How about the Shrieking Shack?" suggested Sirius.

"Hey, that's an idea!" said Ron excitedly, but both Alicia and Hermione made a skeptical noise and all three of them looked at them, Sirius's head turning in the flames.

"Well, Sirius, it's just that there were only four of you meeting in the Shrieking Shack when you were at school," said Hermione, "and all of you could transform into animals and I suppose you could all have squeezed under a single Invisibility Cloak if you'd wanted to. But there are twenty-nine of us and none of us is an Animagus, so we wouldn't need so much an Invisibility Cloak as an Invisibility Marquee —"

"Fair point," said Sirius, looking slightly crestfallen. "Well, I'm sure you'll come up with somewhere… There used to be a pretty roomy secret passageway behind that big mirror on the fourth floor, you might have enough space to practice jinxes in there —"

"Fred and George told me it's blocked," said Harry, shaking his head. "Caved in or something."

"Oh …" said Sirius, frowning. "Well, I'll have a think and get back to —"

He broke off. His face was suddenly tense, alarmed. He turned sideways, apparently looking into the solid brick wall of the fireplace.

"Sirius?" said Harry anxiously.

But he had vanished. Harry gaped at the flames for a moment, then turned to look at Ron and Hermione.

"Why did he — ?"

Hermione gave a horrified gasp and leapt to her feet, still staring at the fire.

A hand had appeared amongst the flames, groping as though to catch hold of something; a stubby, short-fingered hand covered in ugly old-fashioned rings…

Alicia pushed on Harry and the three jumped to their feet following her lead and ran for it, the girls going straight up the staircase without a second glance.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

"That evil toad!" Alicia hissed angrily

"Umbridge has been reading your mail, Harry. There's no other explanation." Hermione believed in agreement

"You think Umbridge attacked Hedwig?" he said, outraged.

"Injuring Hedwig like that…!" Alicia continued

"I'm almost certain of it," said Hermione grimly. "Watch your frog, it's escaping."

Harry pointed his wand at the bullfrog that had been hopping hopefully toward the other side of the table — " _Accio_!"— and it zoomed gloomily back into his hand.

Charms was always one of the best lessons in which to enjoy a private chat: There was generally so much movement and activity that the danger of being overheard was very slight. Today, with the room full of croaking bullfrogs and cawing ravens, and with a heavy downpour of rain clattering and pounding against the classroom windows, Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione's whispered discussion about how Umbridge had nearly caught Sirius went quite unnoticed.

"I've been suspecting this ever since Filch accused you of ordering Dungbombs, because it seemed such a stupid lie," Hermione whispered.

"She must have instantly told him in order to have your letters confiscated!" Alicia said and Harry had to rub her back to try and calm her down, though he was angry himself.

"Well, once your letter had been read, it would have been quite clear you _weren't_ ordering them, so you wouldn't have been in trouble at all — it's a bit of a feeble joke, isn't it? But then I thought, what if somebody just wanted an excuse to read your mail? Well then, it would be a perfect way for Umbridge to manage it — tip off Filch, let him do the dirty work and confiscate the letter, then either find a way of stealing it from him or else demand to see it — I don't think Filch would object, when's he ever stuck up for a student's rights? Harry, you're squashing your frog."

Harry looked down; he was indeed squeezing his bullfrog so tightly its eyes were popping; he replaced it hastily upon the desk.

Alicia hit Harry's hand off her as it had balled into a fist and clutched her robes. She turned to her raven and stared at it as she tried to calm down.

"It was a very, very close call last night," said Hermione. "I just wonder if Umbridge knows how close it was. _Silencio_!"

The bullfrog on which she was practicing her Silencing Charm was struck dumb mid-croak and glared at her reproachfully.

"If she'd caught Snuffle…"

Harry finished the sentence for her.

"He'd probably be back in Azkaban this morning." He waved his wand without really concentrating; his bullfrog swelled like a green balloon and emitted a high-pitched whistle.

" _Silencio_!" said Hermione hastily, pointing her wand at Harry's frog, which deflated silently before them. "Well, he mustn't do it again, that's all. I just don't know how we're going to let him know. We can't send him an owl."

"Well we could, but use a school owl, how's she to know which one to intercept then?" Alicia wondered as she took a deep breath, thinking about the idea of doing something to trump Umbridge helping her calm down before she turned to her Raven.

" _Silencio_." she pointed her wand at the raven and when it next squawked nothing come from it and the bird almost looked confused.

"I don't reckon he'll risk it again," said Ron. "He's not stupid, he knows she nearly got him. _Silencio_!"

The large and ugly raven in front of him let out a derisive caw. " _Silencio_! _SILENCIO_!"

The raven cawed more loudly.

"It's the way you're moving your wand," said Hermione, watching Ron critically. "You don't want to wave it, it's more a sharp jab."

"Ravens are harder than frogs," said Ron testily.

"Fine, let's swap," said Hermione, seizing Ron's raven and replacing it with her own fat bullfrog. " _Silencio_!" The raven continued to open and close its sharp beak, but no sound came out.

"Very good, Miss Granger!" said Professor Flitwick's squeaky little voice and Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all jumped.

"Miss Potter?" Flitwick used her and Alicia poked her bird with her finger and it opened it's mouth defensively but no sound came.

"Excellent." Flitwick smiled "Now, let me see you try, Mr. Weasley!"

"Wha — ? Oh — oh, right," said Ron, very flustered. "Er — _Silencio_!"

He jabbed at the bullfrog so hard that he poked it in the eye; the frog gave a deafening croak and leapt off the desk.

It came as no surprise to any of them that Harry and Ron were given additional practice of the Silencing Charm for homework.

They were allowed to remain inside over break due to the downpour outside. They found seats in a noisy and overcrowded classroom on the first floor in which Peeves was floating dreamily up near the chandelier, occasionally blowing an ink pellet at the top of somebody's head. They had barely sat down when Angelina came struggling toward them through the groups of gossiping students.

"I've got permission!" she said. "To re-form the Quidditch team!"

" _Excellent!"_ said Alicia, Ron and Harry together.

"Yeah," said Angelina, beaming. "I went to McGonagall and I _think_ she might have appealed to Dumbledore — anyway, Umbridge had to give in. Ha! So I want you down at the pitch at seven o'clock tonight, all right, because we've got to make up time, you realise we're only three weeks away from our first match?"

She squeezed away from them, narrowly dodged an ink pellet from Peeves, which hit a nearby first year instead, and vanished from sight. Ron's smile slipped slightly as he looked out of the window, which was now opaque with hammering rain.

"Hope this clears up… What's up with you, Hermione?"

She too was gazing at the window, but not as though she really saw it. Her eyes were unfocused and there was a frown on her face.

"Just thinking…" she said, still frowning at the rain-washed window.

"About Siri… Snuffles?" said Harry.

"No… not exactly…" said Hermione slowly. "More… wondering… I suppose we're doing the right thing… I think… aren't we?

Harry and Ron looked at each other while Alicia blinked for a minute before she rolled her eyes.

"Well, that clears that up," said Ron. "It would've been really annoying if you hadn't explained yourself properly."

Hermione looked at him as though she had only just realised he was there.

"I was just wondering," she said, her voice stronger now, "whether we're doing the right thing, starting this Defence Against the Dark Arts group."

"What!" said Harry and Ron together as Alicia waited for them to stop snapping at her.

"Hermione, it was your idea in the first place!" said Ron indignantly.

"I know," said Hermione, twisting her fingers together. "But after talking to Snuffles…"

"But he's all for it!" said Harry.

"Yes," said Hermione, staring at the window again. "Yes, that's what made me think maybe it wasn't a good idea after all…"

Peeves floated over them on his stomach, peashooter at the ready; automatically all four of them lifted their bags to cover their heads until he had passed.

"Let's get this straight," said Harry angrily, as they put their bags back on the floor, "Sirius agrees with us, so you don't think we should do it anymore?"

Hermione looked tense and rather miserable. Now staring at her own hands she said, "Do you honestly trust his judgment?"

"Yes, I do!" said Harry at once. "He's always given us great advice!"

"Hermione, remember what he said 'better expelled and able to defend yourselves than sitting safely in school without a clue'. How can you ignore advice like that?!" Alicia demanded of her. "And how can you say you don't trust him? He might have a knack of breaking rules but he's not an idiot!" she snapped at the girl.

An ink pellet whizzed past them, striking Katie Bell squarely in the ear. Hermione watched Katie leap to her feet and start throwing things at Peeves; it was a few moments before Hermione spoke again and it sounded as though she was choosing her words very carefully.

"You don't think he has become… sort of… reckless… since he's been cooped up in Grimmauld Place? You don't think he's… kind of… living through us?"

"What d'you mean, 'living through us'?" Harry retorted.

"I mean… well, I think he'd love to be forming secret defence societies right under the nose of someone from the Ministry… I think he's really frustrated at how little he can do where he is… so I think he's keen to kind of… egg us on."

Ron looked utterly perplexed.

"Sirius is right," he said, "you do sound just like my mother." Hermione bit her lip and did not answer.

"I don't see anything wrong with that." Alicia said and Hermione looked at her "He is cooped up in that house and if that means he wants to live through us then so be it. But he would not agree if it put us in danger." Alicia said to Hermione strongly. "I'm very sorry you feel that way about him. After all, what would you do if you were hiding out while people you cared about were out risking everything?" she asked.

Hermione was silent as the bell rang just as Peeves swooped down upon Katie and emptied an entire ink bottle over her head.

The weather did not improve as the day wore on, so that at seven o'clock that evening, when Harry, Alicia and Ron went down to the Quidditch pitch for practice, and the boys were soaked through within minutes, their feet slipping and sliding on the sodden grass. The sky was a deep, thundery grey and it was a relief to gain the warmth and light of the changing rooms, even if they knew it was only temporary. They found Fred and George debating whether to use one of their own Skiving Snackboxes to get out of flying.

"— but I bet she'd know what we'd done," Fred said out of the corner of his mouth. "If only I hadn't offered to sell her some Puking Pastilles yesterday —"

"We could try the Fever Fudge," George muttered, "no one's seen that yet —"

"Does it work?" inquired Ron hopefully, as the hammering of rain on the roof intensified and wind howled around the building.

"Well, yeah," said Fred, "your temperature'll go right up —"

"But?" Alicia asked

"— but you get these massive pus-filled boils too," said George, "and we haven't worked out how to get rid of them yet."

"I can't see any boils," said Ron, staring at the twins.

"No, well, you wouldn't," said Fred darkly, "they're not in a place we generally display to the public —" Alicia looked at them both with sympathy and horror.

"— but they make sitting on a broom a right pain in the —"

"All right, everyone, listen up," said Angelina loudly, emerging from the Captain's office. "I know it's not ideal weather, but there's a good chance we'll be playing Slytherin in conditions like this so it's a good idea to work out how we're going to cope with them. Harry, didn't you do something to your glasses to stop the rain fogging them up when we played Hufflepuff in that storm?"

"You mean the impervious spell." Alicia said as she jabbed her wand to her robes which were the only ones that were dry in the changing room. "Repels substances, including water." she smiled at them

"Hermione did it," said Harry, taking everyone's attention from Alicia. He pulled out his wand, tapped his glasses and said, " _Imperviu_ s!"

"I think we all ought to try that," said Angelina. "If we could just keep the rain off our faces it would really help visibility — all together, come on — _Impervius_! Okay. Let's go."

They all stowed their wands back in the inside pockets of their robes, shouldered their brooms, and followed Angelina out of the changing rooms.

They squelched through the deepening mud to the middle of the pitch; visibility was still very poor even with the Impervius Charm; light was fading fast and curtains of rain were sweeping the grounds.

"All right, on my whistle," shouted Angelina.

Alicia kicked off from the ground, spraying mud in all directions, and shot upward, the wind pulling at her and causing her to drift ever so slightly off course. Alicia kept her eyes peeled for the Quaffle which through the rain she could hardly see until it almost hit her in the face. It got to the point where she could hardly see Angelina or Katie to throw the ball too and Ron even intercepted one of her goals as she couldn't see where he was until it was too late.

The wind was picking up and Alicia, even at a distance could hear the swishing, pounding sounds of the rain pummelling the surface of the lake.

Angelina kept them at it for nearly an hour before conceding defeat. She led her sodden and disgruntled team back into the changing rooms, insisting that the practice had not been a waste of time, though without any real conviction in her voice. Fred and George were looking particularly annoyed; both were bandy-legged and winced with every movement.

"I think a few of mine have ruptured," said Fred in a hollow voice.

"Mine haven't," said George, wincing. "They're throbbing like mad… feel bigger if anything…"

Alicia suddenly hissed and she clapped a hand to her neck as Harry screwed his eyes up in pain and covered his face with the towel in his hands. Alicia dropped her head so her hair moved over her face as her neck seared with pain where her scar was.

"OUCH!"

"What's up?" said several voices.

Harry emerged from behind his towel as Alicia bit her lip and looked up.

"I think something bit me…" Alicia mumbled as she looked at her hand and wiped her neck, not glancing at anyone. The Weasley twins glanced at her before sharing a look.

"Nothing," Harry muttered himself "I — poked myself in the eye, that's all…" the two twins looked at one another though and then to Ron, Harry giving him a significant look that caused him to hang back with Alicia and Harry.

"What happened?" said Ron, the moment that Katie had disappeared through the door. "Was it your scar?"

Harry and Alicia nodded.

"That was worse than ever… other than when he touched you." Alicia mumbled, brushing her scar again.

"But…" Looking scared, Ron strode across to the window and stared out into the rain, "He — he can't be near us now, can he?"

"No," Harry muttered, sinking onto a bench and rubbing his forehead. "He's probably miles away. It hurt because… he's… angry." Alicia looked at Harry. She had felt anger, but not her own. At first she'd thought it was Harry's, after all, she'd felt his anger before along with other emotions.

"Did you see him?" said Ron, looking horrified. "Did you… get a vision, or something?"

Alicia's eyes narrowed in confusion as Ron said those words. Harry was able to feel Voldemort, just as, it seemed, she was able to feel Harry… But she and Harry had a relationship, being twins, he and Voldemort did not.

 _But Dumbledore had said Voldemort gave Harry some of his powers…_ said the logical voice in her mind.

But that didn't mean Harry should be able to feel Voldemort's presence, or his anger, or see things…

Her eyes widened. Things like locked doors he'd never seen before…

"He wants something done, and it's not happening fast enough," Harry said as Alicia was both worried and confused all of a sudden. The connection between Harry and Voldemort, from what Harry had said, seemed to be developing, like hers and Harry's? Only much quicker. How could that be?

"But… how do you know?" said Ron.

Harry shook his head and covered his eyes with his hands, pressing down upon them with his palms. Ron sat down beside Harry on the bench and stared at the boy as Alicia watched her brother, her mind racing too much to be able to ask the questions Ron was wondering as well.

"Is this what it was about last time?" said Ron in a hushed voice. "When your scar hurt in Umbridge's office? You-Know-Who was angry?"

Harry shook his head.

"What is it, then?"

There was silence for a second.

"Last time, it was because he was pleased," he said. "Really pleased. He thought… something good was going to happen. And the night before we came back to Hogwarts…" Harry paused again "He was furious…"

He looked around at Ron, who was gaping at him.

"You could take over from Trelawney, mate," he said in an awed voice.

"I'm not making prophecies," said Harry.

"No, you know what you're doing?" Ron said, sounding both scared and impressed. "Harry, _you're reading You-Know-Who's mind_ …"

Alicia was staring at Harry and even she could tell the horror was apparent on her face. Dumbledore had told her that she and Harry had a connection like no other. And that was why she was able to feel Harry's emotions and see through his eyes. The professor had said it was a build on something deeper than just a twin bond.

Harry and Voldemort didn't have a twin bond. And yet, it seemed they had the same connection.

Had Dumbledore lied to her?

"No," said Harry, shaking his head, continuing as both boys were completely unaware as to Alicia's thought process. "It's more like… his mood, I suppose. I'm just getting flashes of what mood he's in… Dumbledore said something like this was happening last year… He said that when Voldemort was near me, or when he was feeling hatred, I could tell. Well, now I'm feeling it when he's pleased too…"

 _That's because it's just heightened emotions not just anger._ Alicia believed. But she was too stunned and confused to say this out loud to the boys.

There was a pause. The wind and rain lashed at the building.

"You've got to tell someone," said Ron.

"I told Sirius last time."

"Well, tell him about this time!"

"Can't, can I?" said Harry grimly. "Umbridge is watching the owls and the fires, remember?"

"Well then, Dumbledore —"

"I've just told you, he already knows," said Harry shortly, getting to his feet, taking his cloak off his peg, and swinging it around himself. "There's no point telling him again."

Ron did up the fastening of his own cloak, watching Harry thoughtfully.

"Dumbledore'd want to know," he said.

Harry shrugged.

"C'mon… we've still got Silencing Charms to practice…" and he turned to Alicia.

"Alicia?" he said and she, having been staring at where he was sitting look up blinking. Ron and Harry were both staring at her confused. "Coming?" he asked when she said nothing. She nodded mutely and grabbed her cloak to follow the boys.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked.

She nodded again without speaking and proceeded out into the rain, being first to move to the castle.

They hurried back through the dark grounds, sliding and stumbling up the muddy lawns, not talking.

Alicia was first to the porthole and she managed to speak to give the password before walking in through the porthole with the boys behind her, Harry it seemed was in deep thought.

Despite not having any homework Alicia sat down in front of the fire with both Ron and Harry, the latter of which who pulled out his potions essay.

 _If Dumbledore lied, then there'd have to be another reason Harry and I are connected right? Something that happened that night, fourteen years ago…_ Alicia believed _And if there was, why did Dumbledore lie about it?_

 _Maybe he doesn't know?_

 _Maybe that's his assumption?_

 _Dumbledore's smarter than that though…_ she believed, arguing with herself as she tried to understand.

 _Maybe he doesn't trust you…_ and Alicia looked angrily at the fire before her.

 _But he told me about Aunt Petunia and why Harry and I are so close. He wouldn't have done so if he didn't trust me._ Alicia thought again

 _But he didn't tell you why he's ignoring Harry, or had him secluded…_

 _But if it's that he doesn't trust us why else would he not tell me?_

 _Perhaps he thinks you're too immature?_

Alicia didn't notice that Ron had left nor did she notice the time. Her eyes stayed on the fire and it seemed Harry was too busy stuck on his own thoughts himself that he didn't even notice her, so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't moved for perhaps hours.

Could it have to do with the Order as well? Alicia mumbled. She doubted Dumbledore would tell people about the connection Harry had with Voldemort, even if some could do with the information. Sirius, Hermione and Ron knew because Harry told them. Alicia knew because she felt it.

 _But you feel it through Harry, you don't have a connection to Voldemort._

Could that be why Dumbledore brought her to the order early and refused Harry to know? Would he exclude Harry because of his uncontrollable connection to Voldemort?

But she, Alicia, had a connection to Harry who was connected to Voldemort? So wasn't that then invalid?

 _Not if Voldemort couldn't reach through to you?_

 _Who said anything about Voldemort reaching through to Harry's mind?_

 _You do it to Harry?_

But Harry doesn't do it back…?

 _You're both curious as to whether it's possible._

Doesn't mean it is.

Alicia didn't notice Harry fall asleep beside her, nor did she hear the thump of his potions textbook hitting the floor. Her eyes didn't feel sleepy despite the darkness outside and the dying fire before her.

And yet, she could feel herself drifting off under her racing thoughts and emotions. She did not understand how these connections were possible.

 _But one things for sure, they all relate back to that one night when Voldemort disappeared…_

Alicia found herself walking down a corridor with no windows and her footsteps echoing. The door she recognised was at the end as usual and she felt excited as she reached out for it.

"Harry Potter, sir!"

Alicia jumped awake and her head hit something hard as her seat was jolted when she moved. She rubbed her head uncertainly and looked around to see darkness, a very low burning fire, barely glowing was sitting before her and a dark shadow was there as well. Something moved beside her as a voice sounded, reminding her she wasn't along.

"Whozair?" said Harry, sitting upright in his chair. Alicia didn't realise she'd fallen asleep, let alone done so in the common room and realised Harry must've done the same as well.

"Dobby has your owl, sir!" said a squeaky voice.  
"Dobby?" said Harry thickly, peering through the gloom toward the source of the voice.

"How can he see anything…?" Alicia mumbled sleepily as she rubbed her head. She assumed she's fallen asleep on Harry's shoulder and bumped her head on his chin or something when they'd been awoken.

"Alicia?" Harry asked

"Mmhm." she mumbled with a yawn before her eyes finally adjusted and she managed to see Dobby before them.

Dobby the house-elf was standing beside the table on which Hermione had left her half a dozen knitted hats. His large, pointed ears were now sticking out from beneath what looked like all the hats that Hermione had ever knitted; he was wearing one on top of the other, so that his head seemed elongated by two or three feet, and on the very topmost bobble sat Hedwig, hooting serenely and obviously cured.

"Dobby volunteered to return Harry Potter's owl!" said the elf squeakily, with a look of positive adoration on his face. "Professor Grubbly-Plank says she is all well now, sir!"

He sank into a deep bow so that his pencil-like nose brushed the threadbare surface of the hearthrug and Hedwig gave an indignant hoot and fluttered onto the arm of Harry's chair.

"That's good." Alicia said, smiling in her sleepiness.

"Thanks, Dobby!" said Harry, stroking Hedwig's head and blinking hard. Alicia was looking at Dobby before her with both amusement and surprise. The elf was also wearing several scarves and innumerable socks, so that his feet looked far too big for his body.

"Er… have you been taking _all_ the clothes Hermione's been leaving out?"

"Oh no, sir," said Dobby happily, "Dobby has been taking some for Winky too, sir."

"Yeah, how is Winky?" asked Harry.

Dobby's ears drooped slightly.

"Winky is still drinking lots, sir," he said sadly, his enormous round green eyes, large as tennis balls, downcast. "She still does not care for clothes, Harry Potter. Nor do the other house-elves. None of them will clean Gryffindor Tower anymore, not with the hats and socks hidden everywhere, they finds them insulting, sir. Dobby does it all himself, sir, but Dobby does not mind, sir, for he always hopes to meet Harry Potter and tonight, sir, he has got his wish!" Dobby sank into a deep bow again. "And Dobby heard sir, that Alicia Evans is actually Alicia Potter!" he turned to her with a beam "Dobby is thrilled to know Harry Potter has a family and is thrilled it to be Alicia Evans."

"Thanks Dobby." Alicia smiled and Dobby bowed lowly to her before turning to them

"But neither Alicia Potter nor Harry Potter seem happy," Dobby went on, straightening up again and looking timidly at Harry. "Dobby heard Harry Potter muttering in his sleep. Was Harry Potter having bad dreams?"

"Not really bad," said Harry, yawning and rubbing his eyes. "I've had worse."

"It's really just confusing." Alicia mumbled

The elf surveyed Harry out of his vast, orblike eyes. Then he said very seriously, his ears drooping, "Dobby wishes he could help Harry Potter, for Harry Potter set Dobby free and Dobby is much, much happier now…"

Harry smiled.

"You can't help me, Dobby, but thanks for the offer…"

He bent and picked up his Potions book. Alicia guessed he'd gotten no where if he'd fallen asleep, probably as absorbed in his thoughts as Alicia had been. He closed the book and as he did so the firelight illuminated the thin white scars on the back of his hand — the result of his detention with Umbridge.

"Wait a moment — there is something you can do for me, Dobby," said Harry slowly.

The elf looked around, beaming.

"Name it, Harry Potter, sir!"

"I need to find a place where twenty-eight people can practice Defence Against the Dark Arts without being discovered by any of the teachers. Especially," Harry clenched his hand on the book, so that the scars shone pearly white, "Professor Umbridge." Alicia looked surprised.

"That's right…" she mumbled "Dobby you live here and clean the castle, you must know of a place." she thought, surprised Harry had remembered something like that in the midst of everything.

To both twins surprise, Dobby gave a little skip, his ears waggling happily, and clap[ed his hands together.

"Dobby knows the perfect place, sir!" he said happily. "Dobby heard tell of it from the other house-elves when he came to Hogwarts, sir. It is known by us as the Come and Go Room, sir, or else as the Room of Requirement!" Alicia looked surprised before she beamed

"Of course!" she said earning a confused look from Harry

"What?"

"The Room of Requirement." Alicia nodded "That'd be more than perfect!"

"Why's it called that?" Harry asked her, looking also at Dobby.

"Because it is a room that a person can only enter," said Dobby seriously, "when they have real need of it. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes it is not, but when it appears, it is always equipped for the seeker's needs. Dobby has used it, sir," said the elf, dropping his voice and looking guilty, "when Winky has been very drunk. He has hidden her in the Room of Requirement and he has found antidotes to butterbeer there, and a nice elf-sized bed to settle her on while she sleeps it off, sir… And Dobby knows Mr. Filch has found extra cleaning materials there when he has run short, sir, and —"

"— and if you really needed a bathroom," said Harry, suddenly remembering something Dumbledore had said at the Yule Ball the previous Christmas, "would it fill itself with chamber pots?"

"A weird thing to think of…" Alicia mumbled

"Dobby expects so, sir," said Dobby, nodding earnestly. "It is a most amazing room, sir."

"You knew about it?" Harry asked Alicia

"It's in one of the books I read ages ago! But where it is located isn't." Alicia said "But the idea had completely slipped my mind! The best part about it is that groups of people can only find the same room if they're thinking and needing the same thing. And the room vanishes even when people are inside it so outsiders can't go wondering in." she said grinning "And because it's always equipped for the seekers needs it'll be big enough for all of us and might even have equipment to use for spell work." she continued

"How many people know about it?" said Harry, sitting up straighter in his chair.

"Very few, sir. Mostly people stumbles across it when they needs it, sir, but often they never finds it again, for they do not know that it is always there waiting to be called into service, sir."

"It sounds brilliant," said Harry, his heart racing. "It sounds perfect, Dobby. When can you show me where it is?"

"Anytime, Harry Potter, sir," said Dobby, looking delighted at Harry's enthusiasm. "We could go now, if you like!"

The twins paused.

"Oh…" Alicia looked at the clock within the room while Harry had stood halfway out of his seat, obviously more than excited to go now. Alicia grabbed his arm and sat him back down.

"Even if we could go now." she began "It's reckless with Umbridge about and," she looked at the clock again "We should probably sleep…" she admitted and Harry eyed the clock himself.

"Not tonight, Dobby," said Harry reluctantly, sinking back into his chair and agreeing with his sister. "This is really important… I don't want to blow it, it'll need proper planning… Listen, can you just tell me exactly where this Room of Requirement is and how to get in there?"

"It's on the seventh floor sir. Opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls." Dobby said

"And you open it by thinking about what you need?" Alicia said and Dobby nodded

"But you have to walk past it three times as you think it." Dobby admitted.

"Dobby you are absolutely fantastic!" Alicia said and the elf beamed.

"Thank you Alicia Potter. If Dobby can say, Dobby really likes the sound of that." he smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Me too."

"She's right Dobby you're a life saver." Harry said.

"Thank you sir. Dobby is just happy he can help Harry Potter sir."

"We'd better get some sleep." Alicia said "I don't know about you but I'd like to have this first meeting as soon as possible." she grinned "I've been thinking about it a heap." Harry nodded

"We should do it tomorrow."

"You mean today." Alicia smirked and he rolled his eyes

"How about about eight?" he asked

"You tell Dean and Neville and I'll tell Parvati and Lavender. We can spend tomorrow telling people and getting them to tell others." Alicia said and the boy nodded.

"What about practice?" Harry asked and Alicia turned to the window in which a gale was storming outside. She looked back at Harry who just nodded knowing that she assumed Angelina would call practice off, especially after the previous session.  
"Plus it's late enough that all practices should be over." Harry nodded in agreement.

"See you latter Dobby." he said

"Keep in touch." Alicia said and the Elf beamed "But remember, don't tell anyone!" Alicia said grinning and Dobby nodded quickly.

"Dobby promises not to tell anyone miss." and Alicia grinned as the two got up, collected their things and moved towards the staircases.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29:

Alicia was so excited the next morning that she woke Hermione up as soon as she was awake, yawning and tired but excited enough to ignore it.

"What?" Hermione grumbled

"Hermione, we found it." Alicia confessed

"Found what?"

"A place for the Defence Against the Dark Arts Lessons." Alicia said and Hermione was awake instantly

"You what?" she asked.

"Last night Harry and I fell asleep in the common room and Dobby turned up." she said "By the way, Dobby's the one who's been taking all your scarves, socks, hats and other things. And because you've been hiding things everywhere no one but Dobby will touch the common room, so thanks for that." Alicia said acidly before she shook her head "Anyway. We asked him if he knew of a place we could use to practice and he said he did."

"Dobby did?" Hermione asked

"It's the Room of Requirement." Alicia admitted "The Come and Go Room."

"The what?"

"Hermione I read about it in a book, didn't you?" Alicia asked her and Hermione shook her head.

"Well the Room of Requirement is always equiped with the seekers needs but its hard to find and very few people know about it because of this. It's perfect for our lessons!" Alicia admitted.

Hermione didn't say anything as Alicia got up and moved over to Parvati and Lavender's beds.

"Lavender! Parvati wake up!"

Both were grumbling just like Hermione had.

"We found somewhere to hold the Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons."

"Great." Parvati mumbled

"Eight o'clock tonight. Be at the seventh floor corridor where the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls." she said and Parvati nodded as she yawned as Lavender sat up.

"Why are you waking us up for this?" she mumbled

"I'm excited!" Alicia grinned and she moved for the doorway.

Alicia descended to the common room and was happy to find Fred and George already there, muttering to one another.

"Fred! George!" she beamed and they turned to her, surprised by her sudden enthusiasm.

"Did someone get hexed?"

"Is Umbridge fired?" George offered

"God I wish." Alicia said "No. We found somewhere for the Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons." and the girl lowered her voice as she said this. The twins' expressions grew into identical grins.

"Excellent." she beamed

"Eight o'clock tonight. Be at the seventh floor corridor where the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Tell Lee!" she said and the twins nodded "And anyone else you see from the Hog's Head."

"Including Ginny." George pointed to see the girl coming down the girl's staircase yawning.

"Ginny!" the red head jumped as Alicia called her. She replayed the message and Ginny immediately said she'd go and tell Michael.

"Come on, let's go find them." Alicia nodded and they moved from the common room and along the corridors towards the Great Hall.

The girls sat at the Gryffindor table until the three boys emerged and after a minute got up to move over towards them. They greeted the girls as they sat down with them and both replayed Alicia's message before Cho walked up to them.

Alicia smiled at the girl but was a little sad as she knew Harry would want to see Cho and tell her about the meeting himself as an excuse to talk to the girl. Ginny however went forwards and told Cho about the meeting regardless.

Alicia returned to the breakfast table before Harry, Hermione and Ron walked in and told them who she'd already informed.

"That should be enough until lunch time though." Alicia decided "Or it'll look suspicious." she believed and Hermione agreed instantly.

"We can tell a few more at lunch." she decided.

Their robes billowed and swirled around them as they splashed across the flooded vegetable patch to double Herbology, where they could hardly hear what Professor Sprout was saying over the hammering of raindrops hard as hailstones on the greenhouse roof. The afternoon's Care of Magical Creatures lesson was to be relocated from the storm-swept grounds to a free classroom on the ground floor and, to their intense relief, Angelina sought out her team at lunch to tell them that Quidditch practice was canceled.

"Good," said Harry quietly, when she told him, "because we've found somewhere to have our first Defence meeting. Tonight, eight o'clock, seventh floor opposite that tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by those trolls. Can you tell Katie?" he asked.

She looked slightly taken aback but promised to tell the others; Harry returned hungrily to his sausages and mash. When he looked up to take a drink of pumpkin juice, he found Hermione watching him.

"What?" he said thickly.

"Well… it's just that Dobby's plans aren't always that safe. Don't you remember when he lost you all the bones in your arm?"

"This room isn't just some mad idea of Dobby's; Dumbledore knows about it too, he mentioned it to me at the Yule Ball."

Hermione's expression cleared.

"Dumbledore told you about it?"

"Just in passing," said Harry, shrugging.

"Oh well, that's all right then," said Hermione briskly and she raised no more objections.

"What part of I read it in a book didn't convince you?" Alicia asked her and she replied with nothing.  
Together with Ron they had spent most of the day seeking out those people who had signed their names to the list in the Hog's Head and telling them where to meet that evening and by the end of dinner the four were confident that the news had been passed to every one of the twenty-five people who had turned up in the Hog's Head.

At half-past seven Harry, Ron, Alicia and Hermione left the Gryffindor common room, Alicia clutching a certain piece of aged parchment in her hand. Fifth years were allowed to be out in the corridors until nine o'clock, but all three of them kept looking around nervously as they made their way up to the seventh floor.

"Hold it," said Harry warningly, "Alicia," and she began to unfold the piece of parchment at the top of the last staircase, tapping it with her wand, and muttering, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

A map of Hogwarts appeared upon the blank surface of the parchment. Tiny black moving dots, labeled with names, showed where various people were.

"Filch is on the second floor," said Harry as he and Alicia held the map close to their eyes and scanning it closely, "and Mrs. Norris is on the fourth."

"And Umbridge?" said Hermione anxiously.

"In her office," said Alicia, pointing. "Okay, let's go."

They hurried along the corridor to the place Dobby had described to Harry and Alicia, a stretch of blank wall opposite an enormous tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's foolish attempt to train trolls for the ballet.

"Okay," said Harry quietly, while a moth-eaten troll paused in his relentless clubbing of the would-be ballet teacher to watch. "Dobby said to walk past this bit of wall three times, concentrating hard on what we need."

They did so, turning sharply at the window just beyond the blank stretch of wall, then at the man-size vase on its other side. Ron had screwed up his eyes in concentration, Hermione was whispering something under her breath, Harry's fists were clenched as he stared ahead of him and Alicia was walking with her eyes on the floor as she thought.

 _We need somewhere to learn to fight… Just give us a place to practice… somewhere they can't find us…_

"Harry," said Hermione sharply, as they wheeled around after their third walk past.

A highly polished door had appeared in the wall. Ron was staring at it, looking slightly wary and Alicia was excited. She bounced slightly on her feet with anticipation as Harry reached out, seized the brass handle, pulled open the door, and led the way into a spacious room lit with flickering torches like those that illuminated the dungeons eight floors below.

The walls were lined with wooden bookcases, and instead of chairs there were large silk cushions on the floor. A set of shelves at the far end of the room carried a range of instruments such as Sneakoscopes, Secrecy Sensors, and a large, cracked Foe-Glass that Harry was sure had hung, the previous year, in the fake Moody's office.

"These will be good when we're practicing Stunning," said Ron enthusiastically, prodding one of the cushions with his foot.

"And just look at these books!" said Hermione excitedly, as Alicia had moved over to one of the shelves and removed a book grinning. Hermione ran a finger along the spines of the large leather-bound tomes. " _A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions… The Dark Arts Outsmarted… Self-Defensive Spellwork_ … wow…" She looked around at Harry, her face glowing, and he saw that the presence of hundreds of books had finally convinced Hermione that what they were doing was right. "Harry, this is wonderful, there's everything we need here!"

"Oh my god I'm so excited!" Alicia said as she spun around the room and then laughed as she collapsed onto a cushion giggling. "It's perfect! Like Hogwarts is on our side!" she thought.

Hermione slid _Jinxes for the Jinxed_ from its shelf, sank onto the nearest cushion, and began to read.

There was a gentle knock on the door. Harry looked around; Ginny, Neville, Lavender, Parvati, and Dean had arrived.

"Whoa," said Dean, staring around, impressed. "What is this place?"

Harry began to explain, but before he had finished more people had arrived, and he had to start all over again.

Alicia took a few and explained the room to them as Harry finished telling some more only to begin yet again.

By the time eight o'clock arrived, every cushion was occupied and the two had explained the room more than ten times. Harry moved across to the door and turned the key protruding from the lock; it clicked in a satisfyingly loud way and everybody fell silent, looking at Harry and Alicia who was standing where everyone could see her near the doorway. Hermione carefully marked her page of _Jinxes for the Jinxed_ and set the book aside.

"Well," said Harry, slightly nervously. "This is the place we've found for practices, and you've — er — obviously found it okay —"

"It's fantastic!" said Cho, and several people murmured their agreement.

"It's bizarre," said Fred, frowning around at it. "We once hid from Filch in here, remember, George? But it was just a broom cupboard then…"

"As we said, the room creates itself to hold what ever it is we need." Alicia grinned

"Hey, Harry, what's this stuff?" asked Dean from the rear of the room, indicating the Sneakoscopes and the Foe-Glass.

"Dark Detectors," said Harry, stepping between the cushions to reach them. "Basically they all show when Dark wizards or enemies are around, but you don't want to rely on them too much, they can be fooled…"

"Especially around here where students are lying and sneaking about." Alicia added "Fake Moody had a heap of them last year. I wouldn't be surprised if they were his to be honest." Harry turned his face to the Foe-Glass.

"When you're ready Harry." Alicia said with a smirk earning a chuckle from everyone as he turned his back on it looking at her slightly annoyed.

"Well, I've been thinking about the sort of stuff we ought to do first and — er —" He noticed a raised hand. "What, Hermione?"

"I think we ought to elect a leader," said Hermione.

"Harry's leader," said Cho at once, looking at Hermione as though she were mad.

"Isn't it Alicia and Harry?" Anthony wondered

"Technically I think you usually only have one leader." Alicia thought with a shrug

"And technically Alicia's a bit better with her leadership skills." Harry said

"But you've done more." Ginny reminded him.

"I guess we should make an exception and just have both." Dean said

"See, I think we ought to vote on it properly," said Hermione, unperturbed. "It makes it formal and it gives either one or both the authority."

"Well I think Alicia knows more than Harry but cause of the Triwizard Tournament Harry's put it into action more so we should have both." Ron said and many people nodded in agreement after this.

"So — everyone who thinks both Alicia and Harry ought to be our leader?" Hermione asked

Everybody put up their hands, even Zacharias Smith, though he did it very halfheartedly.

"Er — right, thanks," said Harry, who could feel his face burning. "And — what, Hermione?"

"Would you like to teach instead Hermione?" Alicia asked with a sigh and the girl blushed but spoke anyway.

"I also think we ought to have a name," she said brightly, her hand still in the air. "It would promote a feeling of team spirit and unity, don't you think?"

"Can we be the Anti-Umbridge League?" said Angelina hopefully.

"Or the Ministry of Magic Are Morons Group?" suggested Fred.

"I was thinking," said Hermione, frowning at Fred, "more of a name that didn't tell everyone what we were up to, so we can refer to it safely outside meetings."

"The Defence Association?" said Cho. "The D.A. for short, so nobody knows what we're talking about?"

"Yeah, the D.A.'s good," said Ginny. "Only let's make it stand for Dumbledore's Army because that's the Ministry's worst fear, isn't it?" There was a good deal of appreciative murmuring and laughter at this.

"All in favour of the D.A.?" said Hermione bossily, kneeling up on her cushion to count. "That's a majority — motion passed!"  
She pinned the piece of paper with all of their names on it on the wall and wrote DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY across the top in large letters.

"Right," said Harry, when she had sat down again, "shall we get practicing then? I was thinking, the first thing we should do is _Expelliarmus_ , you know, the Disarming Charm. I know it's pretty basic but I've found it really useful —"

"Oh please," said Zacharias Smith, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. "I don't think _Expelliarmus_ is exactly going to help us against You-Know-Who, do you?"

"I've used it against him," said Harry quietly. "It saved mine and Alicia's life last June."

Smith opened his mouth stupidly. The rest of the room was very quiet.

"To be slightly more honest though," Alicia said looking at Harry "That's because yours and Voldemort's wands are brothers and refused to fight against one another." Alicia said to which everyone was surprised. "However _Expelliarmus_ holds a bit more power than just disarming your opponent." she said turned to everyone else "When you use the Disarming Charm, it usually means you've won, whether it be a duel or not. When you win against another opponent the opponents wand can sometimes change its allegiance and then becomes yours, whether you've got one or not. So not only does it disarm your opponent but it could leave them defenceless even if they get the chance to pick up the wand again as it wont work for them properly." Alicia explained and a few people looked at her surprised. "Also, a wand will never attack its owner."

"But if you think it's beneath you, you can leave," Harry said turning to Zacharias. Smith did not move. Nor did anybody else.

"Okay," said Harry, his mouth slightly drier than usual with all those eyes upon him, "I reckon we should all divide into pairs and practice."

"Unless you guys would like a demonstration?" Alicia offered. Most of those here though had seen Snape demonstrate the charm in the fifth years' second year and were comfortable going without one.

Everybody got to their feet at once and divided up. Predictably, Neville was left partnerless.

"You can practice with me," Harry told him. "Right — on the count of three, then — one, two, three —"

Alicia moved around through the pairs as Harry helped Neville and she simply observed for a bit as the room was suddenly filled with shouts of " _Expelliarmus_!". Wands flew in all directions, missed spells hit books on shelves and sent them flying into the air.

Alicia frowned at a lot of the sloppy spell work, glad they'd started with something so simple as many people were not succeeding in disarming their opponents at all, but merely causing them to jump backward a few paces or wince as the feeble spell whooshed over them.

Alicia began to stop a few pairs and moved to hold her wand and make the movements to show them how to correctly flourish their wands while Harry, who had left Neville with Hermione and Ron to help others, moved over to Zacharias Smith, who every time he opened his mouth to disarm Anthony, his own wand would fly out of his hand, yet Anthony did not seem to be making a sound. Harry did not have to look far for the solution of the mystery, however; Fred and George were several feet from Smith and taking it in turns to point their wands at his back.

Alicia noticed as well and flicked her wand to cause both their wands to go flying into her hand. They turned to her grinning sheepishly as Harry gave them disapproving looks as well.

"Sorry, Harry," said George hastily. "Couldn't resist…" as Fred was looking at Alicia to try and get her to stop giving him the disapproving look on her face.

Ginny was teamed with Michael Corner; she was doing very well, whereas Michael was either very bad or unwilling to jinx her. Ernie Macmillan was flourishing his wand unnecessarily, giving his partner time to get in under his guard; the Creevey brothers were enthusiastic but erratic and mainly responsible for all the books leaping off the shelves around them. Luna Lovegood was similarly patchy, occasionally sending Justin Finch-Fletchley's wand spinning out of his hand, at other times merely causing his hair to stand on end.

"I didn't think they wouldn't know the wand movements." Harry said

"Especially as Smith said it was easy but we're not in class with half of them and they haven't used it as much as we have." Alicia said as they stood at one end.

"Okay, stop!" Harry shouted. _"Stop! STOP_!" but the cries fell on unheard ears as the spells and shouts were louder.

"How about a whistle?" Alicia offered and Harry suddenly left her side and picked one up of the nearest row of books. "I love this room." Alicia grinned before Harry blew the whistle.

Everyone lowered their wands.

"That wasn't bad," said Harry, "but there's definite room for improvement." Zacharias Smith glared at him.

"The key to good spell work is all in the wrist movement." Alicia said as she held her wand and she flicked it at Harry to have the whistle fly from his hand much to his surprise. A few people chuckled.

"Concentrate on your wand movement a little, perhaps before you point it at your opponent."

Everyone began to copy her movement and she watched them all, pointing out a few errors before she smiled.

"Better." she nodded with a grin.

"Let's try again…" Harry decided.

The two moved off around the room again and Alicia, after noticing Harry avoid Cho and her friend, moved over to help them herself. She caught him however after he'd inspected everyone twice.

"I'm not going to just pay attention to Cho just because you're worried about criticising her." she whispered to him and he blushed "You can give constructive criticism without being rude Harry now go give it a try." she ordered nudging slightly in the raven-haired girl's direction.

Alicia moved off to Zacharias and Anthony and stopped as Anthony flung his wand and the spell hit Fred behind Smith, to which Alicia laughed, earning a glare.

"Here." she said and stood beside him her wand out, he mimicked her. "Around and point." she said doing it slowly. Anthony copied her and she winked at him before doing it to Zacharias and his wand went soaring through the air and into Alicia hand. Anthony, Michael, Ginny, Terry and the twins all clapped and she bowed before moving to hand Smith's wand back. He wasn't looking at all happy.

"Look, if you don't want to be here there's no shame in leaving now. No one would really notice as they're busy. But you can't come to a lesson and then get angry about being told what to do, that's what a lesson's about." She scolded "Also, if you continue to be such a prat, you're gonna end up with many more people beside the twins disliking you. Try and have some fun instead of hating everything." she ignored his huff as she walked off towards Parvati and Lavender.

"Harry, Alicia, have you checked the time?" Hermione called from the other end of the room. Both instantly looked at their watches and Alicia cursed. It was ten to nine and they had ten minutes to get everyone out and back to their common rooms without getting into trouble with Filch.

Harry blew his whistle quickly and everybody stopped shouting, " _Expelliarmus_!" and the last couple of wands clattered to the floor.

"Well, that was pretty good," said Harry, "but we've overrun, we'd better leave it here. Same time, same place next week?"

"Sooner!" said Dean Thomas eagerly and many people nodded in agreement.

Angelina, however, said quickly, "The Quidditch season's about to start, we need team practices too!"

"Let's say next Wednesday night, then," said Harry, "and we can decide on additional meetings then…"

"And work around everyone's needs and free time as well as try and leave space for other things like homework." Alicia said pointedly at Harry, Ron and the twins who all rolled their eyes.

"Come on, we'd better get going…" Harry said as Alicia pulled out the Marauders Map, checking for signs of teachers on the seventh floor. After her assurance Harry began to let people out in groups of threes and fours and Alicia watched the tiny dots anxiously to see that they returned safely to their dormitories: the Hufflepuffs to the basement corridor that also led to the kitchens, the Ravenclaws to a tower on the west side of the castle, and the Gryffindors along the corridor to the seventh floor and the Fat Lady's portrait.

"That was really, really good, Harry. And I knew Alicia had the leadership skills. I liked how you added in the theory on the spell as well." said Hermione, when finally it was just her, Alicia, Harry, and Ron left.

"Well, adding a bit of why it works helps people understand and then master it better in my opinion." Alicia smiled "I do have to admit it was fun though." Alicia said to Harry.

"Yeah, it was!" said Ron enthusiastically, as they slipped out of the door and watched it melt back into stone behind them. "Did you see me disarm Hermione, Harry?"

"Only once," said Hermione, stung. "I got you loads more than you got me —"

"I did not only get you once, I got you at least three times —"

"Well, if you're counting the one where you tripped over your own feet and knocked the wand out of my hand —"

"I guess we'll have to give you both the chance to to stun one another and settle this." Alicia said stopping them as they neared the common room. She'd given Harry the map to watch for teachers on their way back and he said nothing, not even to complain about the two's bickering.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30:

Alicia was rather ecstatic over the next two weeks, so much so that even Umbridge's classes could not remove her mood. She and Harry had been using their free moments to discuss lessons and idea on which spells to teach when and in what order. Alicia kept track by crossing them off her original list from the end of September. The fact that they were doing exactly what the ministry didn't want right under Dolores Umbridge's nose made her more happy as she spent her classes thinking more about the D.A. lessons than the class in which all were simply reading the text book.

Already they managed to teach the group a few spells though they exceeded at different spells at different rates. Neville had successfully disarmed Hermione, Colin Creevey had mastered the Impediment Jinx after three meetings' hard effort, Parvati Patil had produced such a good Reductor Curse that she had reduced the table carrying all the Sneakoscopes to dust.

Despite this, regular meeting times were hard to fix to a specific night what with three separate Quidditch teams' practices, which were often rearranged depending on the weather conditions. Harry had decided this was for the better, as it was probably better to keep the timing of their meetings unpredictable. If anyone was watching them, it would be hard to make out a pattern.

Because of this Hermione and Alicia sat down to think of a way to communicate the meeting times and dates without having to keep running around and telling everyone. This way, if the meetings were changed, everyone could tell within the instant.

"There's obviously a way, after all V-Voldemort does it, with his Death Eaters." Hermione believed

"With Voldemort being at the centre of it." Alicia mumbled, thinking.

"We could connect it to something that you and Harry have as you're the leaders."

"Well it'd have to be something inconspicuous. An object… instead of…" the girl looked at her hands "And if it's something normal, it wont seem odd to be hanging onto it."

"Like what?" Hermione wondered

"What do people always hold onto?" Alicia asked and Hermione thought for a second.

"What about coins?" Hermione offered. Alicia grinned at her.

So Hermione and Alicia created a bucket of coins before placing a charm on them within the common room to take to the next meeting, creating fake galleons as the object. When Ron saw the bucket of money at the next meeting he got very excited.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione said, holding one up for examination at the end of their fourth meeting. The coin gleamed fat and yellow in the light from the torches. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry or Alicia sets the date of the next meeting they'll change the numbers on their coins, and because Alicia and I have put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic theirs."

"After all we cannot keep running to one another in the Great Hall or it'll begin to look suspicious." Alicia said "This way it's conspicuous. And the coins wont look out of place in our pockets."

A blank silence greeted the girls' words. Hermione looked around at all the faces upturned to her, rather disconcerted as Alicia rose an eyebrow waiting for a response.

"Well — I thought it was a good idea," she said uncertainly, "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But… well, if you don't want to use them…"

"You can do a Protean Charm?" said Terry Boot.

"Yes," said Hermione and Alicia.

"But that's… that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," he said weakly.

"Oh," said Hermione, trying to look modest. "Oh… well… yes, I suppose it is…"

"Hermione and I like to read." Alicia said

"And Alicia has a knack for spells." Hermione admitted

"How come neither of you are in Ravenclaw?" he demanded, staring at Hermione and Alicia with something close to wonder. "With brains like yours?"

"Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," said Hermione brightly, "but it decided on Gryffindor in the end."

"I'm too adventurous I guess." Alicia shrugged "But like Hermione the Sorting Hat debated on Ravenclaw for me as well." she smiled

"So does that mean we're using the Galleons?" Hermione wondered

There was a murmur of assent and everybody moved forward to collect one from the basket. Harry looked sideways at Hermione.

"You know what these remind me of?"

"No, what's that?"

"The Death Eaters' scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."

"Well… yes," said Hermione quietly. "That _is_ where I got the idea… but you'll notice Alicia and I decided to engrave the date on bits of metal rather than on our members' skin…"

"Yeah… I prefer your way," said Harry, grinning, as he slipped his Galleon into his pocket. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally spend them."

"Fat chance," said Ron, who was examining his own fake Galleon with a slightly mournful air. "I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

* * *

Alicia moved through the wooden bookcases, looking over the spines, her fingers brushing over the different colours. The books on the shelves all held a few words in common, 'Connections' and 'mind'.

 _If Dumbledore did lie, then there has to be a real explanation…_ Alicia mumbled _There is clearly a deeper branch of magic that's causing this or Harry wouldn't be connected to a wizard who was less than human for fourteen years._ she seemed as though she was trying to convince herself.

 _If that's the case, how would they gain such a connection?_

Alicia looked annoyed at the books before her as her mind caused her confusion.

 _This isn't helping…_ Alicia mumbled, shaking her head and refocusing on the book titles written down the spines.

"The only times they could have established anything would've been…" Alicia pursed her lips and a flash of green flashed over her mind. But Voldemort tried to kill Harry? How could that have done anything? Alicia shook her head again before she gave up at looking at the spines of the books and turned to move towards Madam Pince.

"Miss Potter," the librarian acknowledged her.

"Madam Pince, I need some information, obviously." Alicia began "I'm not sure of the exact topic I need but, I'm looking for something that involves…" Alicia thought "A connection between two people's minds." she said. Madam Pincers an eyebrow at the girl. "Or… maybe…" Alicia paused "Seeing through another's… No it might be more like invading another's mind." she said before she began to nod. Madam Pince continued to survey the girl as she stood waiting. The more the librarian stared at her as though trying to figure out Alicia's angle, the more Alicia wondered if perhaps this was a topic of the redistricted section…

 _If that's the case I'm not getting the information without a signed note._

 _What's worse is you might need an excuse as to why you want this information._ Alicia bit her lip and continued to watch the women before her, hoping to high hell that she wouldn't ask. She couldn't admit she could see what her twin brother saw and that the Headmaster said it was because of the curse both of them miraculously survived because their mother refused to step aside and died for them.

 _Nor can you say you want to learn about it because let's face it, invading people's minds as you put it does not exactly sound legal._

 _Why did I ever choose to say it like that?_ Alicia questioned

"You say you don't know the correct term for such a thing?" Madam Pince finally asked. Her voice was stern and she looked down at Alicia as though wondering whether to believe this or not. Madam Pince was rather like Professor McGonagall in Alicia's opinion.

"No. Or I'd know what book to look for." Alicia sighed as she indicated to the rows of books behind them. "And I'd know whether to ask you or not about it seeing as you're looking at me like I'm trying to break into the restricted section…" she confessed looking back at the women slightly nervously.

"Well, from what you've described that's because you are searching for a topic that is indeed kept in the restricted section." Madam Pince admitted and Alicia sighed.

"What is it?" Alicia chanced

"Why do you need to know?" Madam Pince asked

"I don't need to, it's just…" Alicia pursed her lips as she looked down at her hands, knowing no matter what she said it was a lost cause without a signed note "Personal." she mumbled and Madam Pince rose an eyebrow.

"Miss Potter…"

"Never mind. Sorry." Alicia said, rather put out about this information and turning to leave the library.

 _Why is it when I need something that's important and personal like this it happens to be information I can't get to?_ Alicia complained. "I need something and it's not provided…" _And we don't have stupid Lockhart to sign another slip for me as we did in our second year and Dumbledore's ignoring Harry and probably me too so I can't ask him._ "Could ask McGonagall, she might know about our connection but what's the luck of her agreeing?" Alicia grumbled as she moved down the corridors. "For once I'd like to just ask for something I require and it be as simple as it being provided like…" Alicia stopped walking and looked at the blank wall before her.

"Like the Room of Requirement." she whispered with a grin.

Alicia reached into her bag and pulled out the old piece of parchment on which the Marauders Map secretly inhabited and pulled out her wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." she whispered, tapping the parchment with her wand. The usual thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the tip of Alicia's wand, joining each other to crisscross and fan into every corner of the parchment. The words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

 _Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present_

 _THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

Alicia smiled before opening the parchment to find the seventh floor. A few students were walking along it, mostly Gryffindors moving to and from the common room. Noticing that Filch, Mrs Norris and no teacher was likely to see her, Alicia set off through the corridors. As the room was being used for the D.A. meetings the last thing they needed was Alicia leading someone towards it on a day off. Hardly anyone knew of the room and that was the best way for it to stay.

Alicia reached the spot and began to walk in front of the blank wall three times.

 _I need information about connected minds. I need to know why I'm psychically connected to Harry. I need information. I need books._ She thought.

The door appeared and with a glance up the corridor in either direction Alicia opened the door and stood surprised.

She'd stepped into a library. Quickly closing the door behind her, Alicia looked around shocked. She couldn't work out if there were more books than the library or not. Either way she moved to a shelf and looked over the spines.

One by one she began to grab the books and read the backs, flicking through to random pages. Very soon there was a large pile of books around the couch she had nestled into and the hours were flashing past. It wasn't until she noticed the several dots moving over the open Marauders Map beside her that she realised it must have been dinner time.

"Already?" she mumbled as she checked the time. It hadn't just been dinner time, dinner had ended.

Alicia looked at the book she had been reading, of all the ones she'd picked up this was the one that had grasped her attention the most. Right on the cover was the word _Legilimency_. Immediately the branch of magic reminded her of the sorting hat, which delved into the mind to find the properties of the new students and decide which house they belonged into. _Legilimency_ was the act of navigating through the many layers of a person's mind and correctly interpreting one's findings. It was like mind reading, though that term was not appreciated by wizards and witches as it was a muggle who coined it that.

Alicia could understand why these books weren't in the library, the school probably didn't want students learning how to invade other's mind. But this seemed, in a way, exactly what she did the Harry and what Harry did in turn to Voldemort.

"Although," Alicia thought to herself as she put the book in her bag and, after checking the map, left the room. "He's not reading his mind, he's feeling his emotions…" she mumbled. _Which, so far, doesn't seem to be legilimency._

"I don't know if a person can do it without knowing though and Harry doesn't seem to be able to do it back? Though he can't block me either." she mumbled as she moved off to the common room, reaching the Fat Lady's portrait. The portrait swung open to reveal the porthole after she gave the password and entered the common room. Tonight was a rare night as Angelina had not called a team quidditch practice, which is what allowed Alicia to sit and read for so long. As the first match between Slytherin and Gryffindor quickly approached she had insisted on almost daily practices. Because of this as well as the practices of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, the D.A. meetings had become most infrequent.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked when he, Hermione and Ron spotted her entering the common room.

"Yeah you missed dinner?" Ron admitted

"I got carried away, sorry." she shrugged as she sat down to join them with their homework. Alicia didn't see the point in telling the three her theories when there was no proof behind it, she needed more information and research first.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31:

Although the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were excited for the first quidditch match the heads of house on the other hand made attempts to disguise their wish for victory, though failed miserably. Professor McGonagall was one of these teachers when she decided to abstain from giving them homework the week leading up to the match.

"I think you've got enough to be getting on with at the moment," she said loftily. Nobody could quite believe their ears until she looked directly at Alicia, Harry and Ron and said grimly, "I've become accustomed to seeing the Quidditch Cup in my study, and I really don't want to have to hand it over to Professor Snape, so use the extra time to practice, won't you?" Alicia had grinned and nodded happily.

Unfortunately it seemed that the Slytherins didn't think they could beat Gryffindor fairly as they attempted to hex the Gryffindor players in the corridors. Alicia had put one of the chasers in the hospital wing just by deflecting a hex with a protection charm. Instantly she'd moved to McGonagall to warn her as she believed the Slytherins would run to Snape and put the blame on her. The professor had been sure to protect her players and the Slytherin in question ended up with detention.

Snape on the other hand was less obviously partisan: He had booked the Quidditch pitch for Slytherin practice so often that the Gryffindors had difficulty getting on it to play. He was also turning a deaf ear to the many reports of Slytherin hex attempts.

Alicia took it down to the team's worry of loosing, which they were likely to do. Gryffindor had never, in her time at Hogwarts, lost to Slytherin and she did not believe that to change. There was the difference however of Ron, his confidence still lacked and he wasn't up to Wood's standards, but he was definitely working extremely hard to improve. His greatest weakness was a tendency to loose confidence when he made a blunder; if he let in one goal he became flustered and was therefore likely to miss more. On the other hand, Alicia and Harry had seen Ron make some truly spectacular saves when he was on form: During one memorable practice, he had hung one-handed from his broom and kicked the Quaffle so hard away from the goal hoop that it soared the length of the pitch and through the centre hoop at the other end. The rest of the team felt this save compared favourably with one made recently by Barry Ryan, the Irish International Keeper, against Poland's top Chaser, Ladislaw Zamojski. Even Fred had said that Ron might yet make him and George proud, and that they were seriously considering admitting that he was related to them, something he assured Ron they had been trying to deny for four years.

Alicia had knocked both the twins' heads together.

Despite Ron's obvious talent though he was letting the Slytherins tactics within classrooms and corridors affect him before they even got on the pitch. While Harry and Alicia had endured the taunts for four to three years, Ron had not, nor had he ever been good ignoring the comments at him from the Slytherins.

When Slytherins, some of them seventh years and considerably larger than he was, muttered as they passed in the corridors, "Got your bed booked in the hospital wing, Weasley?" he did not laugh, but turned a delicate shade of green. When Draco Malfoy imitated Ron dropping the Quaffle (which he did whenever they were within sight of each other), Ron's ears glowed red and his hands shook so badly that he was likely to drop whatever he was holding at the time too.

As the match arrived so did the colder weather. October flowed into November and the frozen iron, hard with frosts every morning and icy drafts within the corridors froze the exposed hands and faces. Dragon skin gloves were worn within the castle as the temperature dropped inside and the mountains became snowcapped.

It was just as cold the morning of the match, though bright as the rain seemed to have moved on for the minute. Alicia pulled herself out of bed excitedly, dressed and grabbed her broom and book before heading down to the great hall for lunch. As usual when Alicia was looking forward to something she was one of the first people up and awake. The rest in her dormitory looked like they wouldn't stir for hours either. But the sun had begun to rise and Alicia sat at the Gryffindor table ready to eat a good fill of breakfast regardless.

After eating some sausages, baked beans, toast, poached egg, bacon and avocado she opened the book and began to take down some porridge, slowly with a glass of pumpkin juice. The room began to fill more and more, colours of silver and green or red and gold filling the room. As expected the Slytherins were laughing with glee, seeming somewhat over confident. Alicia glanced at them all before noticing they'd all pinned some new badge to the front of their robes. She eyed them for a slit second before deciding she didn't want to know what was on them. It wouldn't be anything good.

Harry and Ron were first to join her and she quickly put the legilimency book away before they could read the cover, not that they'd take nearly as much notice as Hermione would if she saw it.

Alicia looked at the two boys as she said good morning. Harry greeted her happily but Ron as dead silent. Alicia looked him over before noticing how pale and sweaty he was. She'd only seen him that bad before when he'd cast a slug-vomiting charm on himself by accident.

Alicia looked from Ron to Harry who sighed, knowing what she was thinking. Despite that the Gryffindor table had still gave a roaring cheer for the two boys as they'd entered, clearly not noticing Ron's petrified expression. The roar seemed to cause Ron to collapse onto the bench without his consent.

"I must've been mental to do this," he said in a croaky whisper. "Mental."

"Don't be thick," said Harry firmly, passing him a choice of cereals. "You're going to be fine. It's normal to be nervous."

"I'm rubbish," croaked Ron. "I'm lousy. I can't play to save my life. What was I thinking?"

"Hey! No you're not." Alicia snapped

"Get a grip," said Harry sternly in agreement. "Look at that save you made with your foot the other day, even Fred and George said it was brilliant —"

Ron turned a tortured face to Harry.

"That was an accident," he whispered miserably. "I didn't mean to do it — I slipped off my broom when none of you were looking and I was trying to get back on and I kicked the Quaffle by accident."

"Who cares you did it." Alicia said "You have it in you whether accident or not." she believed.

Harry however seemed surprised by this news.

"Well," said Harry, recovering quickly from this unpleasant surprise, "a few more accidents like that and the game's in the bag, isn't it?"

"Ron seriously, beating yourself down is not exactly going to make you feel great is it? You're brother to Fred and George who play awesomely, not to mention Charlie who was apparently phenomenal, you've got the same blood and talent as they do. You just lack the confidence." Alicia said grinning "I think you'll be great."

It seemed Hermione had finally woken up for she and Ginny joined the three at the bench, sitting down opposite wearing red and gold scarves, gloves and rosettes.

"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked Ron, who was now staring into the dregs of milk at the bottom of his empty cereal bowl as though seriously considering attempting to drown himself in them.

"He's just nervous," said Harry.

"Well, that's a good sign, I never feel you perform as well in exams if you're not a bit nervous," said Hermione heartily.

"Hello," said a vague and dreamy voice from behind them. Harry looked up: Luna Lovegood had drifted over from the Ravenclaw table. Many people were staring at her and a few openly laughing and pointing; she had managed to procure a hat shaped like a life-size lion's head, which was perched precariously on her head.

"I'm supporting Gryffindor," said Luna, pointing unnecessarily at her hat. "Look what it does…"

She reached up and tapped the hat with her wand. It opened its mouth wide and gave an extremely realistic roar that made everyone in the vicinity jump.

"It's good, isn't it?" said Luna happily. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time. Anyway… good luck, Ronald!"

She drifted away. They had not quite recovered from the shock of Luna's hat before Angelina came hurrying toward them, accompanied by Katie.

"When you're ready," she said, "we're going to go straight down to the pitch, check out conditions and change."

"We'll be there in a bit," Harry assured her. "Ron's just got to have some breakfast."

Ron ate nothing. It seemed he was incapable of eating anything and with a shared look after ten minutes Alicia and Harry decided to get him out of the castle and down to the changing rooms.

Hermione stood with the three of them and grabbed the two twins quickly to whisper at them.

"Don't let Ron see what's on those Slytherins' badges," she whispered urgently.

Alicia looked at her confused and glanced at them. Maybe she'd better find out what stupid slogan they'd written on them this time. Last time the Slytherins had invented badges it had been for the Tri-wizard Tournament to mock Harry with.

Ron moved over to them looking lost and desperate as Harry received a shake of the head from Hermione as he looked confused to her statement.

"Good luck, Ron," said Hermione, standing on tiptoe and kissing him on the cheek. "And you, Harry, Alicia —"

Ron seemed to come to himself slightly as they walked back across the Great Hall. He touched the spot on his face where Hermione had kissed him, looking puzzled, as though he was not quite sure what had just happened. He seemed too distracted to notice much around him. Alicia and Harry however looked at the badges a little closer than before. They were crown shaped and etched into them were the words:

WEASLEY IS OUR KING

Harry made a point to rush Ron across the Great Hall quickly before he could notice the words as well and they proceeded across the entrance hall, down the stone steps, and out into the icy air.

The frosty grass crunched under their feet as they hurried down the sloping lawns toward the stadium. There was no wind at all and the sky was a uniform pearly white, which meant that visibility would be good without the drawback of direct sunlight in the eyes. Harry pointed out these encouraging factors to Ron as they walked, but he was not sure that Ron was listening.

Angelina had changed already and was talking to the rest of the team when they entered. Alicia, Harry and Ron pulled on their robes (Ron attempted to do his up back-to-front for several minutes before Alicia helped him out) and then sat down to listen to the pre-match talk while the babble of voices outside grew steadily louder as the crowd came pouring out of the castle toward the pitch.

"Okay, I've only just found out the final lineup for Slytherin," said Angelina, consulting a piece of parchment. "Last year's Beaters, Derrick and Bole, have left now, but it looks as though Montague's replaced them with the usual gorillas, rather than anyone who can fly particularly well. They're two blokes called Crabbe and Goyle, I don't know much about them —"

"We do," said Alicia, Harry and Ron together.

"Well, they don't look bright enough to tell one end of a broom from another," said Angelina, pocketing her parchment, "but then I was always surprised Derrick and Bole managed to find their way onto the pitch without signposts."

"Crabbe and Goyle are in the same mould," Harry assured her.

They could hear hundreds of footsteps mounting the banked benches of the spectators' stands now. Some people were singing, though the words could not be made out right this minute. Alicia took a breath feeling excited, but her nerves were building as expected, the first game was always the most exciting and against Slytherin something always happened. There had never been a boring first match between Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Alicia glanced at Ron, he was clutching his stomach and staring straight ahead again, his jaw set and his complexion pale grey.

"It's time," said Angelina in a hushed voice, looking at her watch. "C'mon everyone… good luck."

The team rose, shouldered their brooms, and marched in single file out of the changing room and into the dazzling sunlight. A roar of sound greeted them in which they could still hear singing, though it was muffled by the cheers and whistles.

The Slytherin team were standing waiting for them. They too were wearing those silver crown-shaped badges. The new captain, Montague, was built along the same lines as Dudley, with massive forearms like hairy hams. Behind him lurked Crabbe and Goyle, almost as large, blinking stupidly in the sunlight, swinging their new Beaters' bats. Malfoy stood to one side, the sunlight gleaming on his white-blond head. He caught Harry's eye and smirked, tapping the crown-shaped badge on his chest.

"Captains shake hands," ordered the umpire, Madam Hooch, as Angelina and Montague reached each other. Harry could tell that Montague was trying to crush Angelina's fingers, though she did not wince. "Mount your brooms…"

Madam Hooch placed her whistle in her mouth and blew.

The balls were released and the fourteen players shot upward; Alicia saw Ron streak off toward the goal hoops, while Harry zoomed higher, dodging a Bludger, and set off on a wide lap of the pitch, gazing around for a glint of gold; on the other side of the stadium, Draco Malfoy was doing exactly the same.

Alicia turned to the quaffle as Angelina grabbed it and at that moment Lee Jordan's usual commentaries began.

"And it's Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me —"

"JORDAN!" yelled Professor McGonagall.

"Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest — and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed Montague, she's — ouch — been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe… Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and — nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague, he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Ev—I mean Potter, gotta remember that, and Potter's away —" Alicia sped through the stadium with the Quaffle under her arm in concentration.

"— dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger — close call, Alicia — and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?"

And as Lee paused to listen the song rose loud and clear from the sea of green and silver in the Slytherin section of the stands:

 _Weasley cannot save a thing,_

 _He cannot block a single ring,_

 _That's why Slytherins all sing:_

 _Weasley is our King._

 _Weasley was born in a bin,_

 _He always lets the Quaffle in,_

 _Weasley will make sure we win,_

 _Weasley is our King._

Alicia felt her anger begin to boil at the sound of the song and began to take a few breaths to try and calm her. She'd tried shooting the Quaffle when angry and it'd never done any good.

"— and Alicia passes back to Angelina!" Lee shouted, and Alicia knew Lee was trying to drown out the sound of the singing. "Come on now, Angelina — looks like she's got just the Keeper to beat! — SHE SHOOTS — SHE — aaaah…"

Bletchley, the Slytherin Keeper, had saved the goal; he threw the Quaffle to Warrington who sped off with it, zigzagging in between Alicia and Katie; the singing from below grew louder and louder as he drew nearer and nearer Ron —

 _Weasley is our King,_

 _Weasley is our King,_

 _He always lets the Quaffle in,_

 _Weasley is our King._

Alicia shot after the opposing chaser like a bullet, glancing at Ron as she followed.

"— and it's Warrington with the Quaffle, Warrington heading for goal, he's out of Bludger range with just the Keeper ahead —"

A great swell of song rose from the Slytherin stands below:

 _Weasley cannot save a thing,_

 _He cannot block a single ring…_

"— so it's the first test for new Gryffindor Keeper, Weasley, brother of Beaters, Fred and George, and a promising new talent on the team — come on, Ron!"

Alicia pelted for the Quaffle as it was thrown but the scream of delight came from the Slytherin end: Ron had dived wildly, his arms wide, and the Quaffle had soared between them, straight through Ron's central hoop.

"Slytherin score!" came Lee's voice amid the cheering and booing from the crowds below. "So that's ten-nil to Slytherin — bad luck, Ro…"

The Slytherins sang even louder:

 _WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,_

 _HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN…_

"— and Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell tanking up the pitch —" cried Lee valiantly, though the singing was now so deafening that he could hardly make himself heard above it.

 _WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN,_

 _WEASLEY IS OUR KING…_

Alicia was passed the Quaffle and she zoomed off ignoring the singing as much as possible which was ridiculously loud now. She did however hear Angelina yell at Harry who had been watching Ron instead of searching for the snitch. He moved off to circle the pitch again quickly as the Slytherin's song continued.

Alicia served to dodge a bludger then rolled to miss a Slytherin Chaser only to be hit in the side by a bat itself. She felt the pain shoot through her middle and dropped the Quaffle as a reaction. She shook her head in irritation and ignoring her side shot off after the Quaffle.

"— and it's Warrington again," bellowed Lee, "who passes to Pucey, Pucey's off past Potter, come on now Angelina, you can take him — turns out you can't — but nice Bludger from Fred Weasley, I mean, George Weasley, oh who cares, one of them anyway, and Warrington drops the Quaffle and Katie Bell — er — drops it too — so that's Montague with the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Montague takes the Quaffle, and he's off up the pitch, come on now Gryffindor, block him!"

Alicia launched for Pucey and Jordan followed her.

"— and Pucey's dodged Alicia again, and he's heading straight for goal, stop it, Ron!"

But the Gryffindor end of the pitch groaned terribly as Ron let the Quaffle through again while the Slytherins screamed and applauded.

Alicia took a breath, twenty points was not very many considering all the games they'd played so far and the fact that Harry was a much better seeker than Malfoy. There was still time and she just had to shoot a few goals to catch up.

Ren let two more goals in.

"— and Katie Bell of Gryffindor dodges Pucey, ducks Montague, nice swerve, Katie, and she throws to Johnson, Angelina Johnson takes the Quaffle, she's past Warrington, she's heading for goal, come on now Angelina — GRYFFINDOR SCORE! It's forty-ten, forty-ten to Slytherin and Pucey has the Quaffle…"

Alicia's grin began to grow even by the single goal, Luna's ludicrous lion hat roared amongst the cheers of Gryffindor's.

"— Pucey throws to Warrington, Warrington to Montague, Montague back to Pucey — Johnson intervenes, Johnson takes the Quaffle, Johnson to Bell, this looks good — I mean bad — Bell's hit by a Bludger from Goyle of Slytherin and it's Pucey in possession again…"

WEASLEY WAS BORN IN A BIN,

HE ALWAYS LETS THE QUAFFLE IN,

WEASLEY WILL MAKE SURE WE WIN —

And Alicia noticed Harry diving. Malfoy streaked out of the sky to race against him and Alicia saw the glint of the snitch as she pursued to Quaffle, watching it change direction to suit Harry.

The two were neck and neck as Harry raised his right hand, Malfoy doing the same as they reached for the golden ball.

And the game stopped as Harry's finger's closed around the snitch despite Malfoy's hopeless attempts at clawing the back of his hands. Gryffindor had once again won the match against Slytherin and it didn't even matter Ron had let in the goals.

Gryffindor's screamed their approval as Harry pulled his broom upward and held the struggling ball up to be seen. Alicia chuckled before she saw Crabbe move suddenly.

"Harry!" Alicia suddenly shouted as a bludger went flying at Harry. It hit him in the back and knocked him straight off his broom. Luckily he had only been a few feet from the ground and Alicia zipped down to his side instantly.

Madam Hooch's shrill whistle sounded, an uproar in the stands compounded of catcalls, angry yells and jeering. Alicia landed as Angelina did and they moved to help Harry up from the ground. It seemed he'd been winded.

"Harry?" Alicia asked

"Are you all right?" Angelina wondered.

" 'Course I am," said Harry grimly, taking her hand and allowing her to pull him to his feet. Madam Hooch was zooming toward one of the Slytherin players above them.

"It was that thug, Crabbe," said Angelina angrily. "He whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you'd got the Snitch — but we won, Harry, we won!"

There was a snort from behind them and both Alicia and Harry turned around. Draco Malfoy had landed close by; white-faced with fury, he was still managing to sneer.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he said to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper… but then he was _born in a bin…_ Did you like my lyrics, Potter?"

"Well he's still better than Slytherin's seeker. He's never managed to touch a snitch in his whole career." Alicia responded with a casual shrug. She and Harry turned away as Malfoy fumed and moved to see the rest of the team who were all landing and yelling, punching the air in triumph.

Ron however had not joined them, instead he'd landed near the goalposts and began to make his way off towards the changing rooms by himself.

"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Malfoy called, as Katie and Alicia hugged Harry. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly — we wanted to sing about his mother, see —"

"Talk about sour grapes," said Angelina, casting Malfoy a disgusted look.

Alicia however had felt a serious swell of anger within her.

"— we couldn't fit in _useless loser_ either — for his father, you know —"

Fred and George had realised what Malfoy was talking about. Halfway through shaking Harry's hand they stiffened, looking around at Malfoy.

"Leave it," said Angelina at once, taking Fred by the arm. "Leave it, Fred, let him yell, he's just sore he lost, the jumped-up little —" Alicia took his hand and rubbed his other arm, glaring at Malfoy.

"— but you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?" said Malfoy, sneering. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay —"

Harry grabbed hold of George; meanwhile it was taking the combined efforts of Angelina, Alicia and Katie to stop Fred leaping on Malfoy, who was laughing openly. Harry looked around for Madam Hooch, but she was still berating Crabbe for his illegal Bludger attack.

"Or perhaps," said Malfoy, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it —"

Alicia reached into her robes, abandoning her job of holding Fred back, for her want but didn't even get far as she suddenly watched, absolutely shocked, as Harry released George and the two of them were sprinting at Malfoy. And Harry punched Malfoy in the stomach.

"Harry! HARRY! GEORGE! _NO_!"

Angelina and Katie were shouting, Malfoy was yelling and George was swearing. The teachers noticed and Madam Hooch began to blow her whistle as the crowd bellowed.

And then Madam Hooch drew her wand.

" _IMPEDIMENTA_!" Harry and George were thrown back from Malfoy, who was curled on the ground, whimpering and moaning with his nose bleeding. George had a swollen lip and Fred was still being held back by the two girls.

"What do you think you're doing?" screamed Madam Hooch, as Harry was helped to his feet by Alicia. Madam Hooch's whistle was in one hand and her broom was abandoned. "I've never seen behaviour like it — back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! _Now_!"

Harry and George stalked off without a word.

Angelina and Katie began to pull Fred off the pitch and with a glance at them Alicia turned and was quick to move to the changing rooms and change. Ron was already gone and therefore didn't see her as she raced up the steps of the entrance hall. She could here footsteps a little ahead of her as she moved to McGonagall's office.

"He insulted my parents, and Harry's mother." George's voice flew to her as the footsteps came to a stop.

Alicia stopped at the end of the corridor and glanced around to see Umbridge at the door of the Professor's office.

Alicia took a breath and leaned her back against the wall before she closed her eyes.

McGonagall was behind her desk and was quivering with rage. A Gryffindor scarf lay abandoned on the floor where she'd clearly threw it.

Harry jumped slightly at seeing Alicia and she shrugged as McGonagall spoke.

"But instead of leaving it to Madam Hooch to sort out, you two decided to give an exhibition of Muggle duelling, did you?" bellowed Professor McGonagall. "Have you any idea what you've — ?"

" _Hem, hem_." Umbridge made her presence known.

George and Harry both spun around to see Umbridge in a green tweed cloak. She looked more like a toad then ever.

"May I help, Professor McGonagall?" asked Professor Umbridge in her most poisonously sweet voice.

Blood rushed into Professor McGonagall's face.

"Help?" she repeated in a constricted voice. "What do you mean, 'help'?"

Professor Umbridge moved forward into the office, still smiling her sickly smile.

"Why, I thought you might be grateful for a little extra authority."

"You thought wrong," she said, turning her back on Umbridge. "Now, you two had better listen closely. I do not care what provocation Malfoy offered you, I do not care if he insulted every family member you possess, your behaviour was disgusting and I am giving each of you a week's worth of detention! Do not look at me like that, Potter, you deserve it! And if either of you ever —"

" _Hem, hem_."

Professor McGonagall closed her eyes as though praying for patience as she turned her face toward Professor Umbridge again.

" _Yes_?"

"I think they deserve rather more than detentions," said Umbridge, smiling still more broadly.

Professor McGonagall's eyes flew open.

"But unfortunately," she said, with an attempt at a reciprocal smile that made her look as though she had lockjaw, "it is what I think that counts, as they are in my House, Dolores."

"Well, _actually_ , Minerva," simpered Umbridge, "I think you'll find that what I think _does_ count. Now, where is it? Cornelius just sent it… I mean," she gave a little false laugh as she rummaged in her handbag, "the _Minister_ just sent it… Ah yes…" 7

She had pulled out a piece of parchment that she now unfurled, clearing her throat fussily before starting to read what it said.

" _Hem, hem_ … 'Educational Decree Number Twenty-five…' "

"Not another one!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall violently.

"Well, yes," said Umbridge, still smiling. "As a matter of fact, Minerva, it was you who made me see that we _needed_ a further amendment… You remember how you overrode me, when I was unwilling to allow the Gryffindor Quidditch team to re-form? How you took the case to Dumbledore, who insisted that the team be allowed to play? Well, now, I couldn't have that. I contacted the Minister at once, and he quite agreed with me that the High Inquisitor has to have the power to strip pupils of privileges, or she — that is to say, I — would have less authority than common teachers! And you see now, don't you, Minerva, how right I was in attempting to stop the Gryffindor team re-forming? _Dreadful_ tempers… Anyway, I was reading out our amendment… _hem, hem_ … 'The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions, and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, etc., etc…' "

She rolled up the parchment and put it back into her handbag, still smiling.

"What?!" Alicia asked and her hands were shaking.

"So… I really think I will have to ban these two from playing Quidditch ever again," she said, looking from Harry to George and back again.

"No!" Alicia shouted and she was surprised she hadn't actually shouted and alerted everyone to the fact she was just down the corridor.

"Ban us?" Harry said, and his voice sounded strangely distant. "From playing… ever again?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a lifelong ban ought to do the trick," said Umbridge, her smile widening still further as she watched him struggle to comprehend what she had said. "You _and_ Mr. Weasley here. And I think, to be safe, this young man's twin ought to be stopped too — if his teammates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked young Mr. Malfoy as well. I will want their broomsticks confiscated, of course; I shall keep them safely in my office, to make sure there is no infringement of my ban. But I am not unreasonable, Professor McGonagall," she continued, turning back to Professor McGonagall who was now standing as still as though carved from ice, staring at her. "The rest of the team can continue playing, I saw no signs of violence from any of them." Alicia didn't know whether to be proud of herself amongst all the anger she felt. "Well… good afternoon to you." And with a look of the utmost satisfaction Umbridge left the room, leaving a horrified silence in her wake.

Alicia pulled back and opened her eyes, pressing herself against the wall as she heard Umbridge's footsteps disappear before she rounded the corner of the office.

"She can't ban you!" Alicia snapped angrily, horrified. "How on earth are you meant to keep any anger in check without a reward for your hard work?" McGonagall turned to Alicia.

"Miss Potter, ears dropping is —"

"But professor!" Alicia said and McGonagall took a breath that reminded Alicia a little of a dragon.

She silenced immediately and looked at Harry.

Angelina was just as horrified.

"Banned," said Angelina in a hollow voice, late that evening in the common room. " _Banned_. No Seeker and no Beaters… What on earth are we going to do?"

It did not feel as though they had won the match at all. Everywhere Harry looked there were disconsolate and angry faces; the team themselves were slumped around the fire, all apart from Ron, who had not been seen since the end of the match.

"It's just so unfair," said Katie numbly. "I mean, what about Crabbe and that Bludger he hit after the whistle had been blown? Has she banned _him_?"

"No," said Ginny miserably; she and Hermione were sitting on either side of Harry as Alicia sat beside George with Fred leaning on her legs as she absentmindedly played with his hair. "He just got lines, I heard Montague laughing about it at dinner."

"And I bet it's not even the bad kind." Alicia grumbled.

"And banning Fred when he didn't even do anything!" said Katie furiously

"It's not my fault I didn't," said Fred, with a very ugly look on his face. "I would've pounded the little scumbag to a pulp if you two hadn't been holding me back."

"Which is why she banned you." Alicia reminded him. "I seriously want to murder Umbridge she's driving me insane. She didn't want to reinstate the Gryffindor team because of Harry and I and now she's banned you for eternity, which I don't think she should be allowed to do anyway. Maybe a term or something but the next three years?" Alicia complained

"Surprised she didn't ban you too." Harry mumbled

"I didn't give her a reason too…" Alicia mumbled "Was going to send Malfoy to the hospital wing through the window but you two shocked me out of doing it." she confessed, glancing at George.

Silence lingered for a second before Angelina broke it.

"I'm going to bed," said Angelina, getting slowly to her feet. "Maybe this will all turn out to have been a bad dream… Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and find we haven't played yet…"

She was soon followed by Katie. Fred and George sloped off to bed some time later, Alicia patting their shoulders, comfortingly but there was nothing she could say to make anything better. The two stilled glowered at everyone they passed, and Ginny went not long after that. Only Alicia, Harry and Hermione were left beside the fire.

"Have you seen Ron?" Hermione asked in a low voice.

Harry shook his head.

"Not since he left the pitch." Alicia replied

"I think he's avoiding us," said Hermione. "Where do you think he — ?"

But at that precise moment, there was a creaking sound behind them as the Fat Lady swung forward and Ron came clambering through the portrait hole. He was very pale indeed and there was snow in his hair. When he saw Harry and Hermione he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Where have you been?" said Hermione anxiously, springing up.

"Walking," Ron mumbled. He was still wearing his Quidditch things.

"You look frozen," said Hermione. "Come and sit down!"

Ron walked to the fireside and sank into the chair farthest from Harry's, not looking at him. The stolen Snitch which Harry had brought and released into the common room zoomed over their heads.

"I'm sorry," Ron mumbled, looking at his feet.

"What for?" said Harry.

"For thinking I can play Quidditch," said Ron. "I'm going to resign first thing tomorrow."

"If you resign," said Harry testily, "there'll only be three players left on the team." And when Ron looked puzzled, he said, "I've been given a lifetime ban. So've Fred and George."

"What?" Ron yelped.

"That's what happens when you leave." Alicia sighed as she stared at the snitch above them.

Hermione told him the full story; Harry could not bear to tell it again. When she had finished, Ron looked more anguished than ever.

"This is all my fault —"

"You didn't make me punch Malfoy," said Harry angrily.

"— if I wasn't so lousy at Quidditch —"

"— it's got nothing to do with that —"

"— it was that song that wound me up —"

"— it would've wound anyone up —"

Hermione got up and walked to the window, away from the argument, watching the snow swirling down against the pane.

"For christ sake Ronald!" Alicia snapped as she got to her feet. "This attitude here is why you're such a lousy player. You have no confidence and think you're just the worst at everything. Well guess what, not everything is your fault!" Ron looked at her somewhat surprised as Harry sighed.

"It's bad enough without you blaming yourself for everything!" Harry agreed.  
Ron said nothing but sat gazing miserably at the damp hem of his robes. After a while he said in a dull voice, "This is the worst I've ever felt in my life."

"Join the club," said Harry bitterly.

"Well," said Hermione, her voice trembling slightly. "I can think of one thing that might cheer you both up."

"Oh yeah?" said Harry skeptically.

"Yeah," said Hermione, turning away from the pitch-black, snow-flecked window, a broad smile spreading across her face. "Hagrid's back."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32:

"We're going now!" Alicia demanded instantly and Harry was already sprinting up the boys dormitory to get the invisibility cloak, Ron after him, while Alicia and Hermione did the same up their staircase. Alicia grabbed the Marauders Map and both girls rugged up in scarves and gloves before racing back down to find the boys already there.

Ron clicked his tongue impatiently as he looked at the girls and their extra clothes to which Hermione responded, indicating to the snow falling beyond the window.

They crept through the portrait hole and covered themselves hastily in the invisibility cloak — Ron had grown so much he now needed to crouch to prevent his feet showing — then, moving slowly and cautiously, they proceeded down the many staircases, pausing at intervals to check the map for signs of Filch or Mrs. Norris. They were lucky; they saw nobody but Nearly Headless Nick, who was gliding along absentmindedly humming something that sounded horribly like "Weasley Is Our King." They crept across the entrance hall and then out into the silent, snowy grounds. The little golden squares of light ahead and smoke coiling up from Hagrid's chimney caught their eye and Alicia beamed under the cloak. Harry started a quick march in his haste and Alicia, Ron and Hermione jostled and bumped behind him in their own excitement.

Harry rose his fist and knocked three times, a dog started barking frantically inside.

"Hagrid, it's us!" Harry called through the keyhole.

"Shoulda known!" said a gruff voice.

They beamed at one another under the cloak; they could tell that Hagrid's voice was pleased.

"Bin home three seconds…"

"We are observant." Alicia chuckled

"Out the way, Fang… _Out the way_ , yeh dozy dog…"

The bolt was drawn back, the door creaked open, and Hagrid's head appeared in the gap.

Hermione screamed. Alicia would have clapped her hand over the girl's mouth only she was too surprised to do so.

"Merlin's beard, keep it down!" said Hagrid hastily, staring wildly over their heads. "Under that cloak, are yeh? Well, get in, get in!"

"I'm sorry!" Hermione gasped, as the three of them squeezed past Hagrid into the house and pulled the cloak off themselves so he could see them. "I just — oh, _Hagrid_!"

"It's nuthin', it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid hastily, shutting the door behind them and hurrying to close all the curtains, but Hermione continued to gaze up at him in horror.

Hagrid's hair was matted with congealed blood, and his left eye had been reduced to a puffy slit amid a mass of purple-and-black bruises. There were many cuts on his face and hands, some of them still bleeding, and he was moving gingerly, which made Harry suspect broken ribs. It was obvious that he had only just got home; a thick black traveling cloak lay over the back of a chair and a haversack large enough to carry several small children leaned against the wall inside the door. Hagrid himself, twice the size of a normal man and three times as broad, was now limping over to the fire and placing a copper kettle over it.

"What happened to you?" Harry demanded, while Fang danced around them all, trying to lick their faces.

"Told yeh, _nuthin_ '," said Hagrid firmly. "Want a cuppa?"

"Nothing!?" Alicia demanded "Have you seen yourself?"

"Come off it," said Ron, "you're in a right state!"

"I'm tellin' yeh, I'm fine," said Hagrid, straightening up and turning to beam at them all, but wincing. "Blimey, it's good ter see you three again — had good summers, did yeh?" Alicia rose an eyebrow, he must've heard absolutely nothing while on his journey.

"Hagrid, you've been attacked!" said Ron.

"Fer the las' time, it's nuthin'!" said Hagrid firmly.

"Would you say it was nothing if one of us turned up with a pound of mince instead of a face?" Ron demanded.

"You ought to go and see Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid," said Hermione anxiously. "Some of those cuts look nasty."

"I'm dealin' with it, all righ'?" said Hagrid repressively.

"Dealing?" Alicia asked "What did you do to those giants to make them so angry?" Hagrid looked at her shocked, his slitted eye opening a fraction more.

"Giants? Don' know what yeh…" but he broke off before he turned his back and moved to the enormous wooden table that stood in the middle of his cabin and twitched aside a tea towel that had been lying on it. Underneath was a raw, bloody, green-tinged steak slightly larger than the average car tire.

"You're not going to eat that, are you, Hagrid?" said Ron, leaning in for a closer look. "It looks poisonous."

"It's s'posed ter look like that, it's dragon meat," Hagrid said. "An' I didn' get it ter eat."

He picked up the steak and slapped it over the left side of his face. Greenish blood trickled down into his beard as he gave a soft moan of satisfaction.

"Tha's better. It helps with the stingin', yeh know."

"So are you going to tell us what's happened to you?" Harry asked.

"Can', Harry. Top secret. More'n me job's worth ter tell yeh that." Hagrid glanced at Alicia and Hermione caught it.

"Did the giants beat you up, Hagrid?" she asked quietly. Hagrid's fingers slipped on the dragon steak, and it slid squelchily onto his chest.

"Giants?" said Hagrid, catching the steak before it reached his belt and slapping it back over his face. "Who said anythin' abou' giants? Who yeh bin talkin' to? Who's told yeh what I've — who's said I've bin — eh?"

"Alicia's been saying it for months." said Hermione apologetically and Alicia nodded.

"Oh, yeh have, have yeh?" said Hagrid, fixing her sternly with the eye that was not hidden by the steak.

"Where else would Dumbledore send you and Madam Maxime when giants are one of Voldemort's plans of recruitment?" Alicia asked and the three nodded in agreement.

"It was kind of… obvious," said Ron. Harry nodded.

Hagrid glared at them, then snorted, threw the steak onto the table again and strode back to the kettle, which was now whistling.

"Never known kids like you three fer knowin' more'n yeh oughta," he muttered, splashing boiling water into three of his bucket-shaped mugs. "An' I'm not complimentin' yeh, neither. Nosy, some'd call it. Interferin'."

But his beard twitched.

"Well no one else tells us anything so how else are we supposed to be kept in the loop?" Alicia asked with a smirk.

"So you have been to look for giants?" said Harry, grinning as he sat down at the table.

Hagrid set tea in front of each of them, sat down, picked up his steak again, and slapped it back over his face.

"Yeah, all righ'," he grunted, "I have."

"And you found them?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.

"Well, they're not that difficult ter find, ter be honest," said Hagrid. "Pretty big, see."

"Where are they?" said Ron.

"Mountains," said Hagrid unhelpfully.

"So why don't Muggles — ?"

"They do," said Hagrid darkly. "O'ny their deaths are always put down ter mountaineerin' accidents, aren' they?" He adjusted the steak a little so that it covered the worst of the bruising.

"Come on, Hagrid, tell us what you've been up to!" said Ron. "Tell us about being attacked by the giants and Harry can tell you about being attacked by the dementors —"

"Not to mention Umbridge." Alicia hissed.

Hagrid choked in his mug and dropped his steak at the same time; a large quantity of spit, tea, and dragon blood was sprayed over the table as Hagrid coughed and spluttered and the steak slid, with a soft splat, onto the floor.

"Whadda yeh mean, attacked by dementors?" growled Hagrid.

"Didn't you know?" Hermione asked him, wide-eyed.

"I don' know anything that's been happenin' since I left. I was on a secret mission, wasn' I, didn' wan' owls followin' me all over the place — ruddy dementors! Yeh're not serious?"

"Yeah, I am, they turned up in Little Whinging and attacked my cousin and me, and then the Ministry of Magic expelled me —"

"WHAT?"

"— and I had to go to a hearing and everything, but tell us about the giants first."

"You were _expelled_?" Hagrid looked at Alicia.

"Don't look at me I was with Sirius at this point, Dumbledore's orders to separate us." Alicia shrugged

"Tell us about your summer and I'll tell you about mine."

Hagrid glared at him through his one open eye. Harry looked right back, an expression of innocent determination on his face.

"Oh, all righ'," Hagrid said in a resigned voice.

He bent down and tugged the dragon steak out of Fang's mouth.

"Oh, Hagrid, don't, it's not hygien —" Hermione began, but Hagrid had already slapped the meat back over his swollen eye. He took another fortifying gulp of tea and then said, "Well, we set off righ' after term ended —"

"Madame Maxime went with you, then?" Hermione interjected.

"Yeah, tha's right," said Hagrid, and a softened expression appeared on the few inches of face that were not obscured by beard or green steak. "Yeah, it was jus' the pair of us. An' I'll tell yeh this, she's not afraid of roughin' it, Olympe. Yeh know, she's a fine, well-dressed woman, an' knowin' where we was goin' I wondered 'ow she'd feel abou' clamberin' over boulders an' sleepin' in caves an' tha', bu' she never complained once."

"You knew where you were going?" Harry asked. "You knew where the giants were?"

"Well, Dumbledore knew, an' he told us," said Hagrid.

"Are they hidden?" asked Ron. "Is it a secret, where they are?"

"Not really," said Hagrid, shaking his shaggy head. "It's jus' that mos' wizards aren' bothered where they are, s' long as it's a good long way away. But where they are's very difficult ter get ter, fer humans anyway, so we needed Dumbledore's instructions. Took us abou' a month ter get there —"

"A _month_?" said Ron, as though he had never heard of a journey lasting such a ridiculously long time. "But — why couldn't you just grab a Portkey or something?"

There was an odd expression in Hagrid's unobscured eye as he squinted at Ron; it was almost pitying.

"We're bein' watched, Ron," he said gruffly.  
"What d'you mean?"

"Come on Ron," Alicia sighed "You forget old toad-faced already?"

"Yeh don' understand," said Hagrid. "The Ministry's keepin' an eye on Dumbledore an' anyone they reckon's in league with him, an' —"

"We know about that," said Harry quickly, keen to hear the rest of Hagrid's story. "We know about the Ministry watching Dumbledore —"

"So you couldn't use magic to get there?" asked Ron, looking thunderstruck. "You had to act like Muggles _all the way_?"

"Well, not exactly all the way," said Hagrid cagily. "We jus' had ter be careful, 'cause Olympe an' me, we stick out a bit —"

Ron made a stifled noise somewhere between a snort and a sniff and hastily took a gulp of tea.

"— so we're not hard ter follow. We was pretendin' we was goin' on holiday together, so we got inter France an' we made like we was headin' fer where Olympe's school is, 'cause we knew we was bein' tailed by someone from the Ministry. We had to go slow, 'cause I'm not really s'posed ter use magic an' we knew the Ministry'd be lookin' fer a reason ter run us in. But we managed ter give the berk tailin' us the slip round abou' Dee-John —"

"Ooooh, Dijon?" said Hermione excitedly. "I've been there on holiday, did you see — ?"

She fell silent at the look on Ron's face.

"We chanced a bit o' magic after that, and it wasn' a bad journey. Ran inter a couple o' mad trolls on the Polish border, an' I had a sligh' disagreement with a vampire in a pub in Minsk, but apart from tha', couldn't'a bin smoother.

"An' then we reached the place, an' we started trekkin' up through the mountains, lookin' fer signs of 'em…

"We had ter lay off the magic once we got near 'em. Partly 'cause they don' like wizards an' we didn' want ter put their backs up too soon, and partly 'cause Dumbledore had warned us You-Know-Who was bound ter be after the giants an' all. Said it was odds on he'd sent a messenger off ter them already. Told us ter be very careful of drawin' attention ter ourselves as we got nearer in case there was Death Eaters around."

Hagrid paused for a long draft of tea.

"Go on!" said Harry urgently.

"Found 'em," said Hagrid baldly. "Went over a ridge one nigh' an' there they was, spread ou' underneath us. Little fires burnin' below an' huge shadows… It was like watchin' bits o' the mountain movin'."

"How big are they?" asked Ron in a hushed voice.

" 'Bout twenty feet," said Hagrid casually. "Some o' the bigger ones mighta bin twenty-five."

"And how many were there?" asked Harry.

"I reckon abou' seventy or eighty," said Hagrid.

"Is that all?" said Hermione.

"Yep," said Hagrid sadly, "eighty left, an' there was loads once, musta bin a hundred diff'rent tribes from all over the world. But they've bin dyin' out fer ages. Wizards killed a few, o' course, but mostly they killed each other, an' now they're dyin' out faster than ever. They're not made ter live bunched up together like tha'. Dumbledore says it's our fault, it was the wizards who forced 'em to go an' made 'em live a good long way from us an' they had no choice but ter stick together fer their own protection."

"So," said Harry, "you saw them and then what?"

"Well, we waited till morning, didn' want ter go sneakin' up on 'em in the dark, fer our own safety," said Hagrid. "'Bout three in the mornin' they fell asleep jus' where they was sittin'. We didn' dare sleep. Fer one thing, we wanted ter make sure none of 'em woke up an' came up where we were, an' fer another, the snorin' was unbelievable. Caused an avalanche near mornin'.

"Anyway, once it was light we wen' down ter see 'em."

"Just like that?" said Ron, looking awestruck. "You just walked right into a giant camp?"

"Well, Dumbledore'd told us how ter do it," said Hagrid. "Give the Gurg gifts, show some respect, yeh know."

"Give the _what_ gifts?" asked Harry.

"Oh, the Gurg — means the chief."

"How could you tell which one was the Gurg?" asked Ron. Hagrid grunted in amusement.

"No problem," he said. "He was the biggest, the ugliest, an' the laziest. Sittin' there waitin' ter be brought food by the others. Dead goats an' such like. Name o' Karkus. I'd put him at twenty-two, twenty-three feet, an' the weight of a couple o' bull elephants. Skin like rhino hide an' all."

"And you just walked up to him?" said Hermione breathlessly.

"Well… _down_ ter him, where he was lyin' in the valley. They was in this dip between four pretty high mountains, see, beside a mountain lake, an' Karkus was lyin' by the lake roarin' at the others ter feed him an' his wife. Olympe an' I went down the mountainside —"

"But didn't they try and kill you when they saw you?" asked Ron incredulously.

"It was def'nitely on some of their minds," said Hagrid, shrugging, "but we did what Dumbledore told us ter do, which was ter hold our gift up high an' keep our eyes on the Gurg an' ignore the others. So tha's what we did. An' the rest of 'em went quiet an' watched us pass an' we got right up ter Karkus's feet an' we bowed an' put our present down in front o' him."

"What do you give a giant?" asked Ron eagerly. "Food?"

"Nah, he can get food all righ' fer himself," said Hagrid. "We took him magic. Giants like magic, jus' don't like us usin' it against 'em. Anyway, that firs' day we gave him a branch o' Gubraithian fire."

Hermione said "wow" softly and Alicia smiled.

"That'd be helpful." she believed, but Harry and Ron both frowned in puzzlement.

"A branch of — ?"

"Everlasting fire," said Hermione irritably, "you ought to know that by now, Professor Flitwick's mentioned it at least twice in class!"

"Well anyway," said Hagrid quickly, intervening before Ron could answer back, "Dumbledore'd bewitched this branch to burn evermore, which isn' somethin' any wizard could do, an' so I lies it down in the snow by Karkus's feet and says, 'A gift to the Gurg of the giants from Albus Dumbledore, who sends his respectful greetings.' "

"And what did Karkus say?" asked Harry eagerly.

"Nothin'," said Hagrid. "Didn' speak English."

"You're kidding!"

"Didn' matter," said Hagrid imperturbably, "Dumbledore had warned us tha' migh' happen. Karkus knew enough to yell fer a couple o' giants who knew our lingo an' they translated fer us."

"And did he like the present?" asked Ron.

"Oh yeah, it went down a storm once they understood what it was," said Hagrid, turning his dragon steak over to press the cooler side to his swollen eye. "Very pleased. So then I said, 'Albus Dumbledore asks the Gurg to speak with his messenger when he returns tomorrow with another gift.' "

"Why couldn't you speak to them that day?" asked Hermione.

"Dumbledore wanted us ter take it very slow," said Hagrid. "Let 'em see we kept our promises. _We'll come back tomorrow with another present_ , an' then we do come back with another present — gives a good impression, see? An' gives them time ter test out the firs' present an' find out it's a good one, an' get 'em eager fer more. In any case, giants like Karkus — overload 'em with information an' they'll kill yeh jus' to simplify things. So we bowed outta the way an' went off an' found ourselves a nice little cave ter spend that night in, an' the followin' mornin' we went back an' this time we found Karkus sittin' up waitin' fer us lookin' all eager."

"And you talked to him?"

"Oh yeah. Firs' we presented him with a nice battle helmet — goblin-made an' indestructible, yeh know — an' then we sat down an' we talked."

"What did he say?"

"Not much," said Hagrid. "Listened mostly. But there were good signs. He'd heard o' Dumbledore, heard he'd argued against the killin' of the last giants in Britain. Karkus seemed ter be quite int'rested in what Dumbledore had ter say. An' a few o' the others, 'specially the ones who had some English, they gathered round an' listened too. We were hopeful when we left that day. Promised ter come back next day with another present.

"But that night it all wen' wrong."

"What d'you mean?" said Ron quickly.

"Well, like I say, they're not meant ter live together, giants," said Hagrid sadly. "Not in big groups like that. They can' help themselves, they half kill each other every few weeks. The men fight each other an' the women fight each other, the remnants of the old tribes fight each other, an' that's even without squabbles over food an' the best fires an' sleepin' spots. Yeh'd think, seein' as how their whole race is abou' finished, they'd lay off each other, but…"

Hagrid sighed deeply

"That night a fight broke out, we saw it from the mouth of our cave, lookin' down on the valley. Went on fer hours, yeh wouldn' believe the noise. An' when the sun came up the snow was scarlet an' his head was lyin' at the bottom o' the lake."

"Whose head?" gasped Hermione.

"Karkus's," said Hagrid heavily. "There was a new Gurg, Golgomath." He sighed deeply. "Well, we hadn' bargained on a new Gurg two days after we'd made friendly contact with the firs' one, an' we had a funny feelin' Golgomath wouldn' be so keen ter listen to us, but we had ter try."

"You went to speak to him?" asked Ron incredulously. "After you'd watched him rip off another giant's head?"

" 'Course we did," said Hagrid, "we hadn' gone all that way ter give up after two days! We wen' down with the next present we'd meant ter give ter Karkus.

"I knew it was no go before I'd opened me mouth. He was sitting there wearin' Karkus's helmet, leerin' at us as we got nearer. He's massive, one o' the biggest ones there. Black hair an' matchin' teeth an' a necklace o' bones. Human-lookin' bones, some of 'em. Well, I gave it a go — held out a great roll o' dragon skin — an' said A gift fer the Gurg of the giants —' Nex' thing I knew, I was hangin' upside down in the air by me feet, two of his mates had grabbed me."

Hermione clapped her hands to her mouth.

"How did you get out of that?" asked Harry.

"Wouldn'ta done if Olympe hadn' bin there," said Hagrid. "She pulled out her wand an' did some o' the fastes' spellwork I've ever seen. Ruddy marvellous. Hit the two holdin' me right in the eyes with Conjunctivitus Curses an' they dropped me straightaway — bu' we were in trouble then, 'cause we'd used magic against 'em, an' that's what giants hate abou' wizards. We had ter leg it an' we knew there was no way we was going ter be able ter march inter camp again."

"Blimey, Hagrid," said Ron quietly.

"So how come it's taken you so long to get home if you were only there for three days?" asked Hermione.

"We didn' leave after three days!" said Hagrid, looking outraged. "Dumbledore was relyin' on us!"

"But you've just said there was no way you could go back!"

"Not by daylight, we couldn', no. We just had ter rethink a bit. Spent a couple o' days lyin' low up in the cave an' watchin'. An' wha' we saw wasn' good."

"Did he rip off more heads?" asked Hermione, sounding squeamish.

"No," said Hagrid. "I wish he had."

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean we soon found out he didn' object ter all wizards — just us."

"Death Eaters?" said Harry quickly.

"Yep," said Hagrid darkly. "Couple of 'em were visitin' him ev'ry day, bringin' gifts ter the Gurg, an' he wasn' dangling them upside down."

"How d'you know they were Death Eaters?" said Ron.

"Because I recognised one of 'em," Hagrid growled. "Macnair, remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath, no wonder they were gettin' on so well."

"So Macnair's persuaded the giants to join You-Know-Who?" said Hermione desperately.

"Hold yer hippogriffs, I haven' finished me story yet!" said Hagrid indignantly, who, considering he had not wanted to tell them anything in the first place, now seemed to be rather enjoying himself. "Me an' Olympe talked it over an' we agreed, jus' 'cause the Gurg looked like favourin' You-Know-Who didn' mean all of 'em would. We had ter try an' persuade some o' the others, the ones who hadn' wanted Golgomath as Gurg."

"How could you tell which ones they were?" asked Ron.

"Well, they were the ones bein' beaten to a pulp, weren' they?" said Hagrid patiently. "The ones with any sense were keepin' outta Golgomath's way, hidin' out in caves roun' the gully jus' like we were. So we decided we'd go pokin' round the caves by night an' see if we couldn' persuade a few o' them."

"You went poking around dark caves looking for giants?" said Ron with awed respect in his voice.

"Well, it wasn' the giants who worried us most," said Hagrid. "We were more concerned abou' the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had told us before we wen' not ter tangle with 'em if we could avoid it, an' the trouble was they knew we was around — 'spect Golgomath told him abou' us. At night when the giants were sleepin' an' we wanted ter be creepin' inter the caves, Macnair an' the other one were sneakin' round the mountains lookin' fer us. I was hard put to stop Olympe jumpin' out at them," said Hagrid, the corners of his mouth lifting his wild beard. "She was rarin' ter attack 'em… she's somethin' when she's roused, Olympe.… Fiery, yeh know… 'spect it's the French in her…"

Alicia chuckled as Hagrid gazed misty-eyed into the fire. Harry allowed him thirty seconds' reminiscence before clearing his throat loudly.

"So what happened? Did you ever get near any of the other giants?"

"What? Oh… oh yeah, we did. Yeah, on the third night after Karkus was killed, we crept outta the cave we'd bin hidin' in and headed back down inter the gully, keepin' our eyes skinned fer the Death Eaters. Got inside a few o' the caves, no go — then, in abou' the sixth one, we found three giants hidin'."

"Cave must've been cramped," said Ron.

"Wasn' room ter swing a kneazle," said Hagrid.

"Didn't they attack you when they saw you?" asked Hermione.

"Probably woulda done if they'd bin in any condition," said Hagrid, "but they was badly hurt, all three o' them. Golgomath's lot had beaten 'em unconscious; they'd woken up an' crawled inter the nearest shelter they could find. Anyway, one o' them had a bit of English an' 'e translated fer the others, an' what we had ter say didn' seem ter go down too badly. So we kep' goin' back, visitin' the wounded… I reckon we had abou' six or seven o' them convinced at one poin'."

"Six or seven?" said Ron eagerly. "Well that's not bad — are they going to come over here and start fighting You-Know-Who with us?" But Hermione said, "What do you mean 'at one point,' Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked at her sadly.

"Golgomath's lot raided the caves. The ones tha' survived didn' wan' no more ter to do with us after that."

"So… so there aren't any giants coming?" said Ron, looking disappointed.

"Nope," said Hagrid, heaving a deep sigh as he turned over his steak again and applied the cooler side to his face, "but we did wha' we meant ter do, we gave 'em Dumbledore's message an' some o' them heard it an' I 'spect some o' them'll remember it. Jus' maybe, them that don' want ter stay around Golgomath'll move outta the mountains, an' there's gotta be a chance they'll remember Dumbledore's friendly to 'em… Could be they'll come…"

Snow was filling up the window now and Fang had drooled a puddle in Harry's lap.

"Hagrid?" said Hermione quietly after a while.

"Mmm?"

"Did you… was there any sign of… did you hear anything about your… your… mother while you were there?"

Alicia looked surprised by the question as Hagrid's unobscured eye rested upon her, and Hermione looked rather scared.

"I'm sorry… I… forget it —"

"Dead," Hagrid grunted. "Died years ago. They told me."

"Oh… I'm… I'm really sorry," said Hermione in a very small voice. Hagrid shrugged his massive shoulders.

"No need," he said shortly. "Can' remember her much. Wasn' a great mother."

They were silent again. Hermione glanced nervously at Alicia, Harry and Ron, plainly wanting them to speak.

"But you still haven't explained how you got in this state, Hagrid," Ron said, gesturing toward Hagrid's bloodstained face.

"Or why you're back so late," said Harry. "Sirius says Madame Maxime got back ages ago —"

"Who attacked you?" said Ron.

"I haven' bin attacked!" said Hagrid emphatically. "I —"

But the rest of his words were drowned in a sudden outbreak of rapping on the door. Hermione gasped; her mug slipped through her fingers and smashed on the floor; Fang yelped. All four of them stared at the window beside the doorway. The shadow of somebody small and squat rippled across the thin curtain.

" _It's her_!" Ron whispered.

"Delores Umbridge, she works for the ministry and she's a hag." Alicia filled Hagrid in quickly "has it out for Harry and me."

"Get under here!" Harry said quickly; seizing the Invisibility Cloak he whirled it over himself, Alicia and Hermione while Ron tore around the table and dived beneath the cloak as well. Huddled together they backed away into a corner. Fang was barking madly at the door. Hagrid looked thoroughly confused.

"Hagrid, hide our mugs!"

Hagrid seized Alicia, Harry's and Ron's mugs and shoved them under the cushion in Fang's basket. Fang was now leaping up at the door; Hagrid pushed him out of the way with his foot and pulled it open.

Professor Umbridge was standing in the doorway wearing her green tweed cloak and a matching hat with earflaps. Lips pursed, she leaned back so as to see Hagrid's face; she barely reached his navel.

" _So_ ," she said slowly and loudly, as though speaking to somebody deaf. "You're Hagrid, are you?"

Without waiting for an answer she strolled into the room, her bulging eyes rolling in every direction.

"Get away," she snapped, waving her handbag at Fang, who had bounded up to her and was attempting to lick her face.

"Er — I don' want ter be rude," said Hagrid, staring at her, "but who the ruddy hell are you?"

"My name is Dolores Umbridge."

Her eyes were sweeping the cabin. Twice they stared directly into the corner where Harry stood, sandwiched between Ron and Alicia.

"Dolores Umbridge?" Hagrid said, sounding thoroughly confused. "I thought you were one o' them Ministry — don' you work with Fudge?"

"I was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, yes," said Umbridge, now pacing around the cabin, taking in every tiny detail within, from the haversack against the wall to the abandoned traveling cloak. "I am now the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher —"

"Tha's brave of yeh," said Hagrid, "there's not many'd take tha' job anymore —"

"— and Hogwarts High Inquisitor," said Umbridge, giving no sign that she had heard him.

"Wha's that?" said Hagrid, frowning.

"Precisely what I was going to ask," said Umbridge, pointing at the broken shards of china on the floor that had been Hermione's mug.

"Oh," said Hagrid, with a most unhelpful glance toward the corner where Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood hidden, "oh, tha' was… was Fang. He broke a mug. So I had ter use this one instead."

Hagrid pointed to the mug from which he had been drinking, one hand still clamped over the dragon steak pressed to his eye. Umbridge stood facing him now, taking in every detail of his appearance instead of the cabin's.

"I heard voices," she said quietly.

"I was talkin' ter Fang," said Hagrid stoutly.

"And was he talking back to you?"

"Well… in a manner o' speakin'," said Hagrid, looking uncomfortable. "I sometimes say Fang's near enough human —"

"There are four sets of footprints in the snow leading from the castle doors to your cabin," said Umbridge sleekly.

Hermione gasped; Harry clapped a hand over her mouth as Alicia closed her eyes in frustration. Luckily, Fang was sniffing loudly around the hem of Professor Umbridge's robes, and she did not appear to have heard.

"Well, I on'y jus' got back," said Hagrid, waving an enormous hand at the haversack. "Maybe someone came ter call earlier an' I missed em.

"There are no footsteps leading away from your cabin door."

"Well I… I don' know why that'd be…" said Hagrid, tugging nervously at his beard and again glancing toward the corner where Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione stood, as though asking for help. "Erm…"

Umbridge wheeled around and strode the length of the cabin, looking around carefully. She bent and peered under the bed. She opened Hagrid's cupboards. She passed within two inches of where Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione stood pressed against the wall; Harry actually pulled in his stomach as she walked by. After looking carefully inside the enormous cauldron Hagrid used for cooking she wheeled around again and said, "What has happened to you? How did you sustain those injuries?"

Hagrid hastily removed the dragon steak from his face, which seemed a bit of a mistake, because the black-and-purple bruising all around his eye was now clearly visible, not to mention the large amount of fresh and congealed blood on his face.

"Oh, I… had a bit of an accident," he said lamely.

"What sort of accident?"

"I-I tripped."

"You tripped," she repeated coolly.

"Yeah, tha's right. Over… over a friends broomstick. I don' fly, meself. Well, look at the size o' me, I don' reckon there's a broomstick that'd hold me. Friend o' mine breeds Abraxan horses, I dunno if you've ever seen 'em, big beasts, winged, yeh know, I've had a bit of a ride on one o' them an' it was —"

"Where have you been?" asked Umbridge, cutting coolly through Hagrid's babbling.

"Where've I…?"

"Been, yes," she said. "Term started more than two months ago. Another teacher has had to cover your classes. None of your colleagues has been able to give me any information as to your whereabouts. You left no address. Where have you been?"

There was a pause in which Hagrid stared at her with his newly uncovered eye. Harry could almost hear his brain working furiously.

"I — I've been away for me health," he said.

"For your health," said Umbridge. Her eyes traveled over Hagrid's discoloured and swollen face; dragon blood dripped gently onto his waistcoat in the silence. "I see."

"Yeah," said Hagrid, "bit o' — o' fresh air, yeh know —"

"Yes, as gamekeeper fresh air must be so difficult to come by," said Umbridge sweetly. The small patch of Hagrid's face that was not black or purple flushed.

"Well — change o' scene, yeh know —"

"Mountain scenery?" said Umbridge swiftly.

Alicia and Harry shared a desperate look. She knows.

"Mountains?" Hagrid repeated, clearly thinking fast. "Nope, South of France fer me. Bit o' sun an'… an' sea."

"Really?" said Umbridge. "You don't have much of a tan."

"Yeah… well… sensitive skin," said Hagrid, attempting an ingratiating smile. Harry noticed that two of his teeth had been knocked out. Umbridge looked at him coldly; his smile faltered. Then she hoisted her handbag a little higher into the crook of her arm and said, "I shall, of course, be informing the Minister of your late return."

"Righ'," said Hagrid, nodding.

"You ought to know too that as High Inquisitor it is my unfortunate but necessary duty to inspect my fellow teachers. So I daresay we shall meet again soon enough."

She turned sharply and marched back to the door.  
"You're inspectin' us?" Hagrid echoed blankly, looking after her.

"Oh yes," said Umbridge softly, looking back at him with her hand on the door handle. "The Ministry is determined to weed out unsatisfactory teachers, Hagrid. Good night."

She left, closing the door behind her with a snap. Harry made to pull off the Invisibility Cloak but Hermione seized his wrist.

"Not yet," she breathed in his ear. "She might not be gone yet."

Hagrid seemed to be thinking the same way; he stumped across the room and pulled back the curtain an inch or so.

"She's goin' back ter the castle," he said in a low voice. "Blimey… inspectin' people, is she?"

"Yeah," said Harry, pulling the cloak off. "Trelawney's on probation already…"

"And she had a decree made so she can overrule teachers punishments." Alicia huffed

"Um… what sort of thing are you planning to do with us in class, Hagrid?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, don' you worry abou' that, I've got a great load o' lessons planned," said Hagrid enthusiastically, scooping up his dragon steak from the table and slapping it over his eye again. "I've bin keepin' a couple o' creatures saved fer yer O.W.L. year, you wait, they're somethin' really special."

"Erm… special in what way?" asked Hermione tentatively.

"I'm not sayin'," said Hagrid happily. "I don' want ter spoil the surprise."

"Look, Hagrid," said Hermione urgently, dropping all pretence, "Professor Umbridge won't be at all happy if you bring anything to class that's too dangerous —"

"Or if anyone complains about your lessons." Alicia added on

"Dangerous?" said Hagrid, looking genially bemused. "Don' be silly, I wouldn' give yeh anythin' dangerous! I mean, all righ', they can look after themselves —"

"Hagrid, you've got to pass Umbridge's inspection, and to do that it would really be better if she saw you teaching us how to look after porlocks, how to tell the difference between knarls and hedgehogs, stuff like that!" said Hermione earnestly.

"But tha's not very interestin', Hermione," said Hagrid. "The stuff I've got's much more impressive, I've bin bringin' 'em on fer years, I reckon I've got the on'y domestic herd in Britain —"

"Hagrid… please…" said Hermione, a note of real desperation in her voice. "Umbridge is looking for any excuse to get rid of teachers she thinks are too close to Dumbledore. Please, Hagrid, teach us something dull that's bound to come up in our O.W.L…"

But Hagrid merely yawned widely and cast a one-eyed look of longing toward the vast bed in the corner.

"Lis'en, it's bin a long day an' it's late," he said, patting Hermione gently on the shoulder, so that her knees gave way and hit the floor with a thud. "Oh — sorry —" He pulled her back up by the neck of her robes. "Look, don' you go worryin' abou' me, I promise yeh I've got really good stuff planned fer yer lessons now I'm back… Now you lot had better get back up to the castle, an' don' forget ter wipe yer footprints out behind yeh!"

"I dunno if you got through to him," said Ron a short while later when, having checked that the coast was clear, they walked back up to the castle through the thickening snow, leaving no trace behind them due to the Obliteration Charm Hermione was performing as they went.

"Then I'll go back again tomorrow," said Hermione determinedly. "I'll plan his lessons for him if I have to. I don't care if she throws out Trelawney but she's not taking Hagrid!"

"Hear, hear." Alicia agreed.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33:

Alicia and Hermione plowed their way back down to Hagrid's cabin the next morning through two feet of snow. The boys, who had wanted to join them, were so piled under a mountain of homework they were forced by the two to stay in the common room and finish it.

The two girls arrived at the cabin and began knocking. Alicia gave up after ten minutes when there was no answer and Fang's usual barks didn't greet them.

"Where could he be?" Hermione questioned

"Probably out in the forest with what ever creatures it is he's got for us." Alicia sighed, looking at the trees that marked the edge of the forest.

Hermione turned to knock some more but it was useless in Alicia's opinion who just sat down on the front step and waited, watching the kids who weren't buried under homework skating on the frozen lake, tobogganing or bewitching snowballs. Alicia could see someone was aiming nice and high at the Gryffindor common room windows and after one turned around she was not at all surprised to see Fred and George.

After half an hour of Hermione knocking and Alicia watching other students Hagrid finally came stamping out of the forest.

"Oh where have you been?" Alicia asked

"Lookin' after the creatures." Hagrid beamed

"In the forest!? Hagrid it can't be anything…" Hermione began

"Calm down Hermione, this is gonna be grea." Hagrid beamed before they let him into the hut.

"Hagrid could you please just let me know…" Hermione began again

"It'll ruin the surprise." Hagrid assured. He was still badly cut and bruised from yesterday.

"Hagrid if you don't produce a safe and secure lesson Umbridge will use it against you, she'll do anything to kick you out of the school." Hermione continued as Hagrid moved around his cabin.

"Worst of all she's got this serious dislike for half-breeds so she'll have it out for you even more than Trelawney." Alicia warned as she stood by the table.

"Perhaps if you just taught us about knarls or…" Hermione said

"Hermione no one in their righ' mind will want teh study knarls rather than chimaeras." Hagrid returned and the girls shared a frightened look.

"Chimaeras!?" Alicia demanded

"Of course Chimaeras eggs are hard to get." Hagrid continued

"Hagrid I just really think you should be following Grubbly-Plank's plan she's gone through Umbridge's inspection fine." But Hagrid didn't seem to be listening.

Hermione continued to pester the man and even got back onto to the topic of his injuries but Hagrid continued to wave them off until they decided, at lunch time, to head back to the common room.

"This is just a nightmare!" Alicia complained as they trudged through the snow which soaked through their robes.

Alicia moved straight for the common room fire when they returned, both of them shivering slightly.

"So?" said Ron, looking up when she entered. "Got all his lessons planned for him?"

"Well, I tried," she said dully, sinking into a chair beside Harry. She pulled out her wand and gave it a complicated little wave so that hot air streamed out of the tip; she then pointed this at her robes, which began to steam as they dried out. "He wasn't even there when I arrived, I was knocking for at least half an hour. And then he came stumping out of the forest —"

Harry groaned.

"What's he keeping in there? Did he say?" asked Harry.

"No," said Hermione miserably. "He says he wants them to be a surprise. I tried to explain about Umbridge, but he just doesn't get it. He kept saying nobody in their right mind would rather study knarls than chimaeras — oh I don't think he's got a chimaera," she added at the appalled look on Harry and Ron's faces, "but that's not for lack of trying from what he said about how hard it is to get eggs… I don't know how many times I told him he'd be better off following Grubbly-Plank's plan, I honestly don't think he listened to half of what I said. He's in a bit of a funny mood, you know. He still won't say how he got all those injuries…"

Hagrid's reappearance at the staff table at breakfast the next day was not greeted by enthusiasm from all students. Some, like Fred, George, and Lee, roared with delight and sprinted up the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables to wring Hagrid's enormous hand; others, like Parvati and Lavender, exchanged gloomy looks and shook their heads. Harry knew that many of them preferred Professor Grubbly-Plank's lessons, and the worst of it was that a very small, unbiased part of him, knew that they had good reason: Grubbly-Plank's idea of an interesting class was not one where there was a risk that somebody might have their head ripped off.

It was with a certain amount of apprehension that Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione headed down to Hagrid's on Tuesday, heavily muffled against the cold. Harry was worried, not only about what Hagrid might have decided to teach them, but also about how the rest of the class, particularly Malfoy and his cronies, would behave if Umbridge was watching them.

However, the High Inquisitor was nowhere to be seen as they struggled through the snow toward Hagrid, who stood waiting for them on the edge of the forest. He did not present a reassuring sight; the bruises that had been purple on Saturday night were now tinged with green and yellow and some of his cuts still seemed to be bleeding. Alicia didn't think they looked even close to healing, had Hagrid perhaps been attacked by some creature whose venom prevented the wounds it inflicted from healing? As though to complete the ominous picture, Hagrid was carrying what looked like half a dead cow over his shoulder.

"We're workin' in here today!" Hagrid called happily to the approaching students, jerking his head back at the dark trees behind him. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark…"

"What prefers the dark?" Malfoy said sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark — did you hear?"

Malfoy, to Alicia's knowledge, had only entered the Forbidden Forest once and that was on their first year, in which Malfoy had been terrified then too.

"Ready?" said Hagrid happily, looking around at the class. "Right, well, I've bin savin' a trip inter the forest fer yer fifth year. Thought we'd go an' see these creatures in their natural habitat. Now, what we're studyin' today is pretty rare, I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em —"

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" said Malfoy, the panic in his voice even more pronounced now. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

The Slytherins murmured agreement and a few Gryffindors looked as though they thought Malfoy had a fair point too.

" 'Course they're trained," said Hagrid, scowling and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder.

"So what happened to your face, then?" demanded Malfoy.

"Mind yer own business!" said Hagrid, angrily. "Now if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, follow me!"

He turned and strode straight into the forest. Nobody seemed much disposed to follow. Alicia sighed and with a glance at Harry was first to move off. He, Ron and Hermione, sighed but nodded, and they proceeded to follow the girl, leading the rest of the class.

They walked for about ten minutes until they reached a place where the trees stood so closely together that it was as dark as twilight and there was no snow on the ground at all. Hagrid deposited his half a cow with a grunt on the ground, stepped back, and turned to face his class again, most of whom were creeping toward him from tree to tree, peering around nervously as though expecting to be set upon at any moment.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," said Hagrid encouragingly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me…"

He turned, shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face, and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed; most of them looked too scared to make a sound.

Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. A minute passed in which the class continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and around the trees for a first glimpse of whatever it was that was coming. And then, as Hagrid shook his hair back for a third time and expanded his enormous chest, Alicia saw it at the black space between two gnarled yew trees. Harry seemed to notice it too for he nudged Ron and pointed.

A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were growing larger through the gloom and a moment later the dragonish face, neck, and then skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse emerged from the darkness. It looked around at the class for a few seconds, swishing its long black tail, then bowed its head and began to tear flesh from the dead cow with its pointed fangs.

Alicia released a sigh of relief and Hermione looked at her confused. Thestrals weren't bad at all!

Harry seemed relieved as well and he looked at Ron but he was still staring into the trees.

"Why doesn't Hagrid call again?" he whispered

Most of the rest of the class were wearing expressions as confused and nervously expectant as Ron's and were still gazing everywhere but at the horse standing feet from them. There were only two other people who seemed to be able to see them: a stringy Slytherin boy standing just behind Goyle was watching the horse eating with an expression of great distaste on his face, and Neville, whose eyes were following the swishing progress of the long black tail.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, as a second black horse appeared out of the dark trees, folded its leathery wings closer to its body, and dipped its head to gorge on the meat. "Now… put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

Alicia raised her hand and so did Harry. Hagrid nodded at them. "Yeah… yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry, Alicia," he said seriously. "An' you too, Neville, eh? An' —"  
"Excuse me," said Malfoy in a sneering voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

For answer, Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass on the ground. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds, then several people gasped and Parvati squealed. It wasn't hard to know why: Bits of flesh stripping themselves away from the bones and vanishing into thin air had to look very odd indeed.

"What's doing it?" Parvati demanded in a terrified voice, retreating behind the nearest tree. "What's eating it?"

"Thestrals," said Hagrid proudly and Hermione gave a soft "oh!" of comprehension at Harry's shoulder. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows — ?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" interrupted Parvati, looking alarmed. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once —"

"No, no, no," said Hagrid, chuckling, "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbledore's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate — an' here's another couple, look —"

Two more horses came quietly out of the trees, one of them passing very close to Parvati, who shivered and pressed herself closer to the tree, saying, "I think I felt something, I think it's near me!"

"Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh," said Hagrid patiently. "Righ', now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?"

Alicia and Hermione raised their hands.

"Go on then," said Hagrid, beaming at Hermione.

"The only people who can see thestrals," she said, "are people who have seen death."

"Tha's exactly right," said Hagrid solemnly, "ten points ter Gryffindor. Now, thestrals —"

" _Hem, hem_."

Professor Umbridge had arrived. She was standing a few feet away from Harry, wearing her green hat and cloak again, her clipboard at the ready. Hagrid, who had never heard Umbridge's fake cough before, was gazing in some concern at the closest thestral, evidently under the impression that it had made the sound.

" _Hem, hem_."

"Oh hello!" Hagrid said, smiling, having located the source of the noise.

"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning?" said Umbridge, in the same loud, slow voice she had used with him earlier, as though she was addressing somebody both foreign and very slow. "Telling you that I would be inspecting your lesson?"

"Oh yeah," said Hagrid brightly. "Glad yeh found the place all righ'! Well, as you can see — or, I dunno — can you? We're doin' thestrals today —"

"I'm sorry?" said Umbridge loudly, cupping her hand around her ear and frowning. "What did you say?"

Hagrid looked a little confused.

"Er — _thestrals_!" he said loudly. "Big — er — winged horses, yeh know!"

He flapped his gigantic arms hopefully. Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows at him and muttered as she made a note on her clipboard, " 'has… to… resort… to… crude… sign… language…' "

Alicia had to bite her tongue to stop her from speaking.

"Well… anyway…" said Hagrid, turning back to the class and looking slightly flustered. "Erm… what was I sayin'?"

" _'Appears… to… have… poor… short… term… memory…'_ " muttered Umbridge, loudly enough for everyone to hear her. Draco Malfoy looked as though Christmas had come a month early; Hermione, on the other hand, had turned scarlet with suppressed rage.

"Oh yeah," said Hagrid, throwing an uneasy glance at Umbridge's clipboard, but plowing on valiantly. "Yeah, I was gonna tell yeh how come we got a herd. Yeah, so, we started off with a male an' five females. This one," he patted the first horse to have appeared, "name o' Tenebrus, he's my special favourite, firs' one born here in the forest —"

"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, interrupting him, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'?"

Harry's heart sank like a stone, but Hagrid merely chuckled.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ, they might take a bite outta you if yeh really annoy them —"

" 'Shows… signs… of… pleasure… at… idea… of… violence…' " muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again.

"No — come on!" said Hagrid, looking a little anxious now. "I mean, a dog'll bite if yeh bait it, won' it — but thestrals have jus' got a bad reputation because o' the death thing — people used ter think they were bad omens, didn' they? Jus' didn' understand, did they?"

Umbridge did not answer; she finished writing her last note, then looked up at Hagrid and said, again very loudly and slowly, "Please continue teaching as usual. I am going to walk" — she mimed walking — Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were having silent fits of laughter — "among the students" — she pointed around at individual members of the class — "and ask them questions." She pointed at her mouth to indicate talking.

Hagrid stared at her, clearly at a complete loss to understand why she was acting as though he did not understand normal English. Hermione had tears of fury in her eyes now.

"You hag, you evil hag!" she whispered, as Umbridge walked toward Pansy Parkinson. "I know what you're doing, you awful, twisted, vicious —"

"Erm… anyway," said Hagrid, clearly struggling to regain the flow of his lesson, "so — thestrals. Yeah. Well, there's loads o' good stuff abou' them…"

"Do you find," said Professor Umbridge in a ringing voice to Pansy Parkinson, "that you are able to understand Professor Hagrid when he talks?"

Just like Hermione, Pansy had tears in her eyes, but these were tears of laughter; indeed, her answer was almost incoherent because she was trying to suppress her giggles. "No… because… well… it sounds… like grunting a lot of the time…"

Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. The few unbruised bits of Hagrid's face flushed, but he tried to act as though he had not heard Pansy's answer.

"Er… yeah… good stuff abou' thestrals. Well, once they're tamed, like this lot, yeh'll never be lost again. 'Mazin' senses o' direction, jus' tell 'em where yeh want ter go —"

"Assuming they can understand you, of course," said Malfoy loudly, and Pansy Parkinson collapsed in a fit of renewed giggles. Professor Umbridge smiled indulgently at them and then turned to Neville.

"You can see the thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she said. Neville nodded. "Whom did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"My… my grandad," said Neville.

"And what do you think of them?" she said, waving her stubby hand at the horses, who by now had stripped a great deal of the carcass down to bone.

"Erm," said Neville nervously, with a glance at Hagrid. "Well, they're… er… okay…"

" 'Students… are… too… intimidated… to… admit… they… are… frightened…'" muttered Umbridge, making another note on her clipboard.

"No!" said Neville, looking upset, "no, I'm not scared of them — !"

"It's quite all right," said Umbridge, patting Neville on the shoulder with what she evidently intended to be an understanding smile, though it looked more like a leer to Harry.

"Well, Hagrid," she turned to look up at him again, speaking once more in that loud, slow voice

"Hagrid is there a chance I could pet one, or would that be unwise while they're eating?" Alicia cut off Professor Umbridge and Harry looked at her surprised but the girl was looking straight at Hagrid who turned from Umbridge to her.

"Course not, very gentle like I said." Hagrid assured and with a grin Alicia, carefully moved towards the closest thestral. It looked up at her with it's milky eyes and she moved to brush the side of it's dragon like face.

It flinched slightly at her before she moved to pat it's neck grinning.

"It's a bit strange seeing how much like a horse they are and yet have no fur." Alicia confessed as the class watched her.

Umbridge brought herself up, though the height was rather dismal of a change.

"I think I've got enough to be getting along with… You will receive" — she mimed taking something from the air in front of her — "the results of your inspection" — she pointed at the clipboard — "in ten days' time." She held up ten stubby little fingers, then, her smile wider and more toadlike than ever before beneath her green hat, she bustled from their midst, leaving Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson in fits of laughter, Hermione actually shaking with fury, and Neville looking confused and upset.

Alicia looked at Umbridge who cast her a quick gaze before she moved off.

Alicia and Hermione shared an angry look before Alicia had to turn back to the thestral to stop her from hexing Parkinson or Malfoy.

"That foul, lying, twisting old gargoyle!" stormed Hermione half an hour later, as they made their way back up to the castle through the channels they had made earlier in the snow. "You see what she's up to? It's her thing about half-breeds all over again — she's trying to make out Hagrid's some kind of dim-witted troll, just because he had a giantess for a mother — and oh, it's not fair, that really wasn't a bad lesson at all — I mean, all right, if it had been Blast-Ended Skrewts again, but thestrals are fine — in fact, for Hagrid, they're really good!"

"Umbridge said they're dangerous," said Ron.

"Well, it's like Hagrid said, they can look after themselves," said Hermione impatiently, "and I suppose a teacher like Grubbly-Plank wouldn't usually show them to us before N.E.W.T. level, but, well, they are very interesting, aren't they? The way some people can see them and some can't! I wish I could."

Alicia laughed darkly.

"Do you?" Harry asked her quietly.

She looked horrorstruck.

"Oh Harry — I'm sorry — no, of course I don't — that was a really stupid thing to say —"

"It's okay," he said quickly, "don't worry…"

"Just if the alternative to seeing them is to watch someone die it's probably not a great trade…" Alicia shrugged.

"I'm surprised so many people could see them," said Ron. "Three in a class —"

"Yeah, Weasley, we were just wondering," said a malicious voice nearby. Unheard by any of them in the muffling snow, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were walking along right behind them. "D'you reckon if you saw someone snuff it you'd be able to see the Quaffle better?"

He, Crabbe, and Goyle roared with laughter as they pushed past on their way to the castle and then broke into a chorus of "Weasley Is Our King." Ron's ears turned scarlet.

"Ignore them, just ignore them," intoned Hermione, pulling out her wand and performing the charm to produce hot air again, so that she could melt them an easier path through the untouched snow between them and the greenhouses.

Alicia removed hers as well and with a flick of her wand a sheet of ice appeared for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle to slip upon and grab each other as they tried to stay on their feet. Alicia put her wand away as the four laughed at them while they smacked into the ground.

"Alicia, he's a prefect." Hermione reminded her

"He can't exactly prove I did anything." Alicia shrugged innocently.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34:

December arrived, bringing with it more snow and a positive avalanche of homework for the fifth years. Ron and Hermione's prefect duties also became more and more onerous as Christmas approached. They were called upon to supervise the decoration of the castle ("You try putting up tinsel when Peeves has got the other end and is trying to strangle you with it," said Ron), to watch over first and second years spending their break times inside because of the bitter cold ("And they're cheeky little snotrags, you know, we definitely weren't that rude when we were in first year," said Ron), and to patrol the corridors in shifts with Argus Filch, who suspected that the holiday spirit might show itself in an outbreak of wizard duels ("He's got dung for brains, that one," said Ron furiously). They were so busy that Hermione had stopped knitting elf hats and was fretting that she was down to her last three.

"All those poor elves I haven't set free yet, having to stay over during Christmas because there aren't enough hats!"

"I told you Hermione, you haven't set any elves free because Dobby has all your hats!" Alicia said strongly but the girl didn't listen. Harry seemed to have learnt better for he didn't bother to tell her anything and he bent lower over his History of Magic essay.

Alicia had been looking forward to Christmas, as she usually did. But this year was slightly different, there was the prospect that she could go to Grimmauld Place and spend with Sirius but she couldn't send a message to ask nor could she find any way to get there without someone to help her. She'd be in a lot of trouble if she walked by herself out in the open.

First they had to make it to Christmas however. Harry still had his Quidditch ban along with the Weasley twins and so Angelina was working fiercely to find their replacements, of which the three chasers were demanded to be a part of. Hagrid was going to be put onto probation in which he could be fired from Hogwarts and the only happiness amongst Umbridge and her rules seemed to be the D.A. meetings. Unfortunately those would stop around Christmas as everyone went home for the holidays. It seemed Harry and Alicia were to be staying at the castles by themselves. Hermione was going skiing with her parents which amused Ron, who had never before heard of Muggles strapping narrow strips of wood to their feet to slide down mountains. Ron, meanwhile, was going home to the Burrow.

"How are you getting home Ron?" Harry had asked after several days of jealousy which he confided in with Alicia only.

"Yeah are they going to give you a parade?" Alicia wondered "I suppose you wouldn't need it if Harry and I aren't there…" she mumbled and Ron looked at them surprised.

"But you're coming too! Didn't I say? Mum wrote and told me to invite you weeks ago!" Hermione had rolled her eyes and Alicia hit Ron over the back of the head.

"You're supposed to tell us these things!" she demanded.

It was clear to see Harry was much happier by this news.

On the day of the last D.A. meeting Alicia, Katie and Angelina were down in the cold at the pitch recruiting three new players for the team.

"You know I'm happy to give seeker a shot if it's easier to find a chaser." Alicia offered Angelina, who looked at her. She shrugged at the look. "He is my brother and I haven't had a problem with seeing the snitch so far, not that I'm always looking." she added.

Ginny Weasley turned up and Alicia beamed at her before giving her a hug.

Several turned up for the positions and Alicia was on her broom with Angelina and Katie as they watched the tryouts. Alicia had never been to tryouts except for her own, for she'd missed Ron's thanks to Umbridge's detention.

Ginny did a great job at seeker, not as well as Harry but definitely better than the others.

The beaters were a harder choice. None of them were great, at least not like Fred and George and so they had a harder time deciding. Eventually Angelina decided on Andrew Kirke and Jack Sloper.

"And in time for the D.A." Alicia said as she rubbed her hands together "Come on, it's freezing."

The three trudged through the snow and into the castle to proceed up to the seventh floor and into the Room of Requirement. The only people inside were Luna and Harry. Alicia looked around grinning to find the room decorated for Christmas.

"Wow Harry."

"Dobby." he responded and Alicia chuckled

"Of course."

"Well," said Angelina dully, pulling off her cloak and throwing it into a corner, "we've replaced you."

"Replaced me?" said Harry blankly.

"You and Fred and George," she said impatiently. "We've got another Seeker!"

"And beaters." Alicia added

"Who?" said Harry quickly.

"Ginny Weasley," said Katie.

Harry gaped at her.

"Yeah, I know," said Angelina, pulling out her wand and flexing her arm. "But she's pretty good, actually. Nothing on you, of course," she said, throwing him a very dirty look, "but as we can't have you…"

"Angelina," Alicia sighed.

"And what about the Beaters?" Harry asked, clearly trying to keep his voice even.

"Andrew Kirke," said Alicia without enthusiasm, "and Jack Sloper. Neither of them are brilliant, but compared with the rest of the idiots who turned up…"

"We'll see how it goes." Alicia shrugged "So, today?" she asked chaining the topic

"Well there's no point doing anything new."

"Well if we had something easy it would be and you could always send them home to practice." Alicia shrugged

"And what would their parents think?" Harry wondered

"Depends on what side their parents are on anyway." Alicia said

"I think we'll just go over impedimenta and stunning." Harry thought "Easy and simple."

"And a bit boring." Alicia added and Harry looked at her slightly annoyed. She just shrugged.

Ron, Hermione and Neville arrived next and then within five minutes the room was full.

"Okay," Harry said, calling them all to order. "I thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break —"

"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come…"

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly.

"I'm unsure as to why you're still here anyway when you seem to hate it so much." Alicia sighed.

Several people sniggered.

The boy didn't move.

"We can practice in pairs," Harry continued. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again."

They all divided up obediently; Harry partnered Neville as usual. The room was soon full of intermittent cries of " _Impedimenta_!" People froze for a minute or so, during which their partners would stare aimlessly around the room watching other pairs at work, then would unfreeze and take their turn at the jinx.

Fred and George were taking great pride in freezing one another and Alicia flicked her want to divert the jinx they aimed at Smith.

"If you don't stop misbehaving I will freeze you both and leave you that way for the rest of the lesson." she said as she stood beside them. They looked at her grinning but Alicia saw the unsureness and rose her eyebrow "Think I'm bluffing?" she asked and they shared a glance.

"Sorry Alicia," Fred stroked her hair and she watched them both for a minute before she flicked her wand and George froze. "Keep going then." Fred snickered and as she walked away he unfroze his brother who looked around confused, causing his twin to laugh harder.

Alicia moved around them all watching with pride at how much they'd all learnt. Neville had improved beyond all recognition. After a while, when Harry had unfrozen three times in a row, he had Neville join Ron and Hermione again, so that he could walk around the room with his twin and watch the others. When he passed Cho she beamed at him; he resisted the temptation to walk past her several more times.

After ten minutes on the Impediment Jinx, they laid out cushions all over the floor and started practicing Stunning again. Space was really too confined to allow them all to work this spell at once; half the group observed the others for a while, then swapped over. Harry felt himself positively swelling with pride as he watched them all. True, Neville did Stun Padma Patil rather than Dean, at whom he had been aiming, but it was a much closer miss than usual, and everybody else had made enormous progress.

At the end of an hour, Harry and Alicia called a halt.

"You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff — maybe even Patronuses."

There was a murmur of excitement. The room began to clear in the usual twos and threes; most people wished Harry and Alicia a Happy Christmas as they went. Fred and George both proceeded to smuggle the girl in a thank you hug before they disappeared out the door and she rolled her eyes at them.

Alicia and Harry began to collected up the cushions with Ron and Hermione and stacked them neatly away. Ron and Hermione left before they did; Harry hung back a little and Alicia glanced around before he noticed Cho.

"No, you go on," she said to her friend Marietta.

Alicia chuckled and moved over to him.

"I'll see you in the common room shall I?" she offered and Harry watched as she glanced at Cho. He blushed slightly.

"Hey, do me a favour…" he began and Alicia looked at him before sighing.

"I wont ears drop." she promised quietly before beginning to back out "Of course it wouldn't be weird if you couldn't see me." she added with a grin and Harry rolled his eyes before she waved, mouthed good luck, and moved from the Room of Requirement.

She moved along the corridor towards the Portrait and entered the common room to find Hermione and Ron there. Hermione was writing a letter and Ron was lying on the hearthrug trying to finish some transfiguration homework.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked

"He'll be coming." Alicia grinned and they both looked at her. "I left him with Cho." the two looked a little surprised and Ron snickered as Alicia nodded in agreement.

Harry didn't return for half an hour and the room had emptied in that time.

Alicia looked up at Harry to see the odd expression on her face, she could feel his emotions and he seemed unsure on how he felt. She started giggling, trying to cover it up.

"What kept you?" Ron asked, as Harry sank into the armchair next to Hermione's.

Harry did not answer. He almost seemed as if he was in a state of shock.

"Are you all right, Harry?" Hermione asked, peering at him over the tip of her quill.

"What happened?" Alicia wondered.

Harry gave a halfhearted shrug. Alicia rose an eyebrow.

"What's up?" said Ron, hoisting himself up on his elbow to get a clearer view of Harry. "What's happened?"

Harry hesitated and seemed to not want to speak. Hermione took matters out of his hands.

"Is it Cho?" she asked in a businesslike way. "Did she corner you after the meeting?"

Numbly surprised, Harry nodded. Ron sniggered, breaking off when Hermione caught his eye.

"So — er — what did she want?" he asked in a mock casual voice. Alicia shot him a look.

"She —" Harry began, rather hoarsely; he cleared his throat and tried again. "She — er —"

"Did you kiss?" asked Hermione briskly.

Ron sat up so fast that he sent his ink bottle flying all over the rug. Disregarding this completely he stared avidly at Harry.

"Well?" he demanded.

Harry looked from Ron's expression of mingled curiosity and hilarity to Hermione's slight frown, and nodded.

"HA!"

Ron made a triumphant gesture with his fist and went into a raucous peal of laughter that made several timid-looking second years over beside the window jump. A reluctant grin spread over Harry's face as he watched Ron rolling around on the hearthrug. Hermione gave Ron a look of deep disgust and returned to her letter. Alicia watched him with confusion, she thought his reaction was a bit overkill.

"Well?" Ron said finally, looking up at Harry. "How was it?" Harry considered for a moment.

"Wet," he said truthfully. Alicia couldn't help but laugh.

Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell.

"Because she was crying," Harry continued heavily.

"Oh," said Ron, his smile fading slightly. "Are you that bad at kissing?"

"Dunno," said Harry, who hadn't considered this, and immediately felt rather worried. "Maybe I am."

"Would explain why you're feeling a mix of lousiness and pride."

"Of course you're not," said Hermione absently, still scribbling away at her letter.

"How do you know?" said Ron in a sharp voice.

"Because Cho spends half her time crying these days," said Hermione vaguely. "She does it at mealtimes, in the loos, all over the place."

"You'd think a bit of kissing would cheer her up," said Ron, grinning.

"Ron," said Hermione in a dignified voice, dipping the point of her quill into her ink pot, "you are the most insensitive wart I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Ron indignantly. "What sort of person cries while someone's kissing them?"

"Yeah," said Harry, slightly desperately, "who does?"

"Someone who's emotions are conflicting and all over the place." Alicia shrugged.

Hermione nodded before looked at the pair of boys. Neither of them seemed to comprehend and she gave them a look of pity.

"Don't you understand how Cho's feeling at the moment?" she asked.

"No," said Harry and Ron together.

Hermione sighed and laid down her quill.

"Well, obviously, she's feeling very sad, because of Cedric dying. Then I expect she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry, and she can't work out who she likes best. Then she'll be feeling guilty, thinking it's an insult to Cedric's memory to be kissing Harry at all, and she'll be worrying about what everyone else might say about her if she starts going out with Harry. And she probably can't work out what her feelings toward Harry are anyway, because he was the one who was with Cedric when Cedric died, so that's all very mixed up and painful. Oh, and she's afraid she's going to be thrown off the Ravenclaw Quidditch team because she's been flying so badly."

"Like I said, conflicting emotions." Alicia sighed

A slightly stunned silence greeted the end of this speech, then Ron said, "One person can't feel all that at once, they'd explode."

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have," said Hermione nastily, picking up her quill again.

"Girls are also very complicated." Alicia shrugged

"She was the one who started it," said Harry. "I wouldn't've — she just sort of came at me — and next thing she's crying all over me — I didn't know what to do —"

"Don't blame you, mate," said Ron, looking alarmed at the very thought.

"You just had to be nice to her," said Hermione, looking up anxiously. "You were, weren't you?"

"Well," said Harry, an unpleasant heat creeping up his face, "I sort of — patted her on the back a bit."

Hermione looked as though she was restraining herself from rolling her eyes with extreme difficulty. Alicia sighed.

"Maybe I should've stayed." she mumbled and Hermione glanced at her.

"Well, I suppose it could have been worse," she said. "Are you going to see her again?"

"I'll have to, won't I?" said Harry. "We've got D.A. meetings, haven't we?"

"You know what I mean," said Hermione impatiently.

Harry said nothing. Hermione's words opened up a whole new vista of frightening possibilities. He tried to imagine going somewhere with Cho — Hogsmeade, perhaps — and being alone with her for hours at a time. Of course, she would have been expecting him to ask her out after what had just happened… The thought made his stomach clench painfully.

"Oh well," said Hermione distantly, buried in her letter once more, "you'll have plenty of opportunities to ask her…"

"What if he doesn't want to ask her?" said Ron, who had been watching Harry with an unusually shrewd expression on his face.

"Don't be silly," said Hermione vaguely, "Harry's liked her for ages, haven't you, Harry?"

"Understatement, his stomach flips every time she smiles and breath hitches when she compliments him." Alicia chuckled

"How would you know?" Ron asked

"Psychic bond or what ever you want to call it." Alicia chuckled "I can feel what Harry feels. Not all the time but,"

"Who're you writing the novel to anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, trying to read the bit of parchment now trailing on the floor. Hermione hitched it up out of sight.

"Viktor."

" _Krum_?"

"How many other Viktors do we know?"  
Ron said nothing, but looked disgruntled. Alicia and Harry shared a look before they sat in silence for another twenty minutes, Ron finishing his Transfiguration essay with many snorts of impatience and crossings-out, Hermione writing steadily to the very end of the parchment, rolling it up carefully and sealing it, Alicia had collected a book in which she was reading while Harry was staring into the fire

"Well, 'night," said Hermione, yawning widely, "Alicia?" the girl yawned in response before standing, waving to the boys and moving up the stairs. The girls changed in silence before climbing into bed.

Her dreams did not turn out to be peaceful, though she had no reason they wouldn't be. Where she was it was dark and she was gliding through the darkness. She felt smooth and flexible, coiling powerfully. The floor was dark and stone, cold beneath her as she moved through metal bars. She realised she was sliding on her belly, sort of like a snake. Everything was strange colours within the darkness.

She turned her head to look one way, the corridor was empty… and then it wasn't. There was a man sitting on the floor, his chin drooping onto his chest. Her tongue flashed, she could taste the man. He was alive but drowsing as he sat before the door at the end of the corridor.

She felt the longing to bite the man, though unsure on where it had come from… but the impulse was mastered… there was more important work to do…

But the man was stirring… a silvery cloak fell from his legs as he jumped to his feet; and Alicia saw his vibrant, blurred outline towering above her, saw a wand withdrawn from a belt… there was no choice… She reared high from the floor and struck once, twice, three times, plunging her fangs deeply into the man's flesh, feeling his ribs splinter beneath her jaws, feeling the warm gush of blood…

Alicia wanted to scream as the man was yelling in pain… then he fell silent… He slumped backward against the wall… Blood was splattering onto the floor…

Alicia's neck was searing angrily and she was suddenly aware of her name being called.

"ALICIA!" She sat bolt right up and realised she'd been screaming. She had pushed her blankets far away, her hair was clinging to her neck and tears were rolling down her face. Her scar was burning angrily and it made breathing feel difficult, every pulse in her neck hurt as she looked to notice Hermione beside her.

"Alicia it's okay, it was just a dream." Hermione began to sooth her as Alicia gulped down air. Lavender and Pavarti were watching from the other side of her bed as Alicia began to shake her head.

"No. No it wasn't." Alicia managed to choke out. "Ron… Ginny… Mr Weasley… _Mr Weasley_!" she gasped and, ignoring the three who tried to get her to stay in bed, she was up and scrambling for the door.

"Alicia wait!"

Alicia slammed her way into the fourth year dormitories and a few of the girls slurred in their sleep before she found Ginny's bright red hair.

"Ginny! Ginny!" Alicia called frantically, shaking the girl.

"Alicia? What's wrong?"

"It's your dad! He's been attacked!" Alicia said and Ginny sat up looking at her rubbing her eyes.

"Attacked? What?" Ginny looked at the girl before noticing her face and her's paled. "How?"

"A snake. We need to go! Now!" Ginny grabbed her dressing gown which Alicia had not even contemplated before they ran down the stairs to the common room.

They came face to face with Professor McGonagall who was with Neville.

"Potter, Weasley, what are you doing up?" McGonagall demanded

"Ginny's dad's been attacked!" Alicia said again "it's really bad!"

"Attacked?"

"But… Harry said the same…" Neville muttered and Alicia looked at him before she realised what happened.

Alicia wheeled around and headed up the boys staircase and into the boys room.

Ron was beside Harry's bed and the room stank like vomit. Seamus and Dean were at the foot of his bed.

"Alicia!" Harry gasped as soon as he saw her. She ran forwards and threw arms around him.

"Alicia, Mr Weasley," Harry began and she released him only to cry some more, nodding her head.

"We have to do something, the blood, the poison…" Alicia gasped before McGonagall came in behind her with Neville and Ginny.

"What is it, Potter? Where does it hurt?"

"It's Ron's dad," he said, sitting up again. "He's been attacked by a snake and it's serious, I saw it happen."

"What do you mean, you saw it happen?" said Professor McGonagall, her dark eyebrows contracting.

"It's long and complicated but he's in trouble!" Alicia said

"I don't know… I was asleep and then I was there…"

"You mean you dreamed this?"

"No!" said Harry angrily.

"I saw it too!" Alicia said quickly and McGonagall looked between them too. "Please professor!"

"I was having a dream at first about something completely different, something stupid… and then this interrupted it. It was real, I didn't imagine it, Mr. Weasley was asleep on the floor and he was attacked by a gigantic snake, there was a load of blood, he collapsed, someone's got to find out where he is…"

Professor McGonagall was gazing at him through her lopsided spectacles as though horrified at what she was seeing. She looked between the two twins and looked Alicia over, her race red and her hair a mess.

"I'm not lying, and I'm not mad!" Harry told her, his voice rising to a shout. "I tell you, I saw it happen!"

"I believe you, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly, looking between them both. "Put on your dressing-gown — we're going to see the headmaster."


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35:

Alicia stood up and Harry grabbed his dressing gown and glasses.

"Weasley, you two ought to come too," said Professor McGonagall.

They followed Professor McGonagall past the silent figures of Neville, Dean, and Seamus, out of the dormitory, down the spiral stairs into the common room. Hermione was at the foot of the stairs looking worried but McGonagall told her to go back to bed before they continued through the portrait hole, and off along the Fat Lady's moonlit corridor.

Alicia tried to calm her breathing in worry for Mr Weasley. The man had all but taken her and Harry in and was now in deep trouble where they were the only ones who could help. Alicia took Harry's hand and he squeezed her's tightly. They were walking too slowly for her liking. Mr. Weasley was bleeding and possibly poisoned.

They passed Mrs. Norris, who turned her lamplike eyes upon them and hissed faintly, but Professor McGonagall said, "Shoo!" Mrs. Norris slunk away into the shadows, and in a few minutes they had reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Fizzing Whizbee," said Professor McGonagall.

The gargoyle sprang to life and leapt aside; the wall behind it split in two to reveal a stone staircase that was moving continuously upward like a spiral escalator. The five of them stepped onto the moving stairs; the wall closed behind them with a thud, and they were moving upward in tight circles until they reached the highly polished oak door with the brass knocker shaped like a griffin. Though it was now well past midnight, there were voices coming from inside the room, a positive babble of them. It sounded as though Dumbledore was entertaining at least a dozen people.

Though it was now well past midnight, there were voices coming from inside the room, a positive babble of them. It sounded as though Dumbledore was entertaining at least a dozen people.

Professor McGonagall rapped three times with the griffin knocker, and the voices ceased abruptly as though someone had switched them all off. The door opened of its own accord and Professor McGonagall led Harry, Alicia, Ginny and Ron inside.

The room was in half darkness; the strange silver instruments standing on tables were silent and still rather than whirring and emitting puffs of smoke as they usually did. The portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses covering the walls were all snoozing in their frames. Behind the door, a magnificent red-and-gold bird the size of a swan dozed on its perch with its head under its wing.

"Oh, it's you, Professor McGonagall… and… _ah_."

Dumbledore was sitting in a high-backed chair behind his desk; he leaned forward into the pool of candlelight illuminating the papers laid out before him. He was wearing a magnificently embroidered purple-and-gold dressing gown over a snowy-white nightshirt, but seemed wide awake, his penetrating light-blue eyes fixed intently upon Professor McGonagall.

"Professor Dumbledore, Potter has had a… well, a nightmare," said Professor McGonagall. "He says…"

"It wasn't a nightmare," said Harry and Alicia quickly.

Professor McGonagall looked around at them both, frowning slightly. "Very well, then, Potter, you tell the headmaster about it."

"I… well, I _was_ asleep…" said Harry and even in his terror and his desperation to make Dumbledore understand he felt slightly irritated that the headmaster was not looking at him, but examining his own interlocked fingers. "But it wasn't an ordinary dream…" Harry looked at Alicia "It was real… I saw it happen…" He took a deep breath and Alicia nodded, "Ron's dad — Mr. Weasley — has been attacked by a giant snake."

"He's somewhere dark and stone and he's bleeding really badly." Alicia said, her voice trembling slightly.

"You both saw this?" Dumbledore asked and while he didn't look at Harry, he looked at Alicia who nodded frantically with Harry beside her. She could feel irritation building from Harry.

There was a pause in which Dumbledore leaned back and stared meditatively at the ceiling. Ron looked from Harry to Dumbledore, white-faced and shocked.

"How did you see this?" Dumbledore asked quietly, still not looking at Harry. The twins shared a confused look, was that important?

"Well… I don't know," said Harry and Alicia could hear the anger in his voice. "Inside my head, I suppose —"

"You misunderstand me," said Dumbledore, still in the same calm tone. "I mean… can you remember — er — where you were positioned as you watched this attack happen? Were you perhaps standing beside the victim, or else looking down on the scene from above?"

This was such a curious question that Harry gaped at Dumbledore; it was almost as though he knew…

"I was the snake," he said. "I saw it all from the snake's point of view…"

"It wasn't just that though," Alicia said carefully "It wasn't just through the snakes eyes. I could feel what it felt, it had work to do, it couldn't attack Mr Weasley, it was busy and then Mr Weasley woke up and spotted it so… It was so satisfied with being able to…" Alicia shuddered a little and Ginny took her hand, stroking her arm. But it was Ginny who needed comforting, she was just as pale as Alicia felt.

Nobody else spoke for a moment, then Dumbledore, now looking at Ron, who was still whey-faced, said in a new and sharper voice, "Is Arthur seriously injured?"

"Yes," said Harry emphatically. Alicia looked at Dumbledore pleadingly. This was detrimental, they had to find him and help him. Why were they all so slow on the uptake, did they not realise how much a person bled when fangs that long pierced their side?

But Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harry jumped, and addressed one of the old portraits hanging very near the ceiling.

"Everard?" he said sharply. "And you too, Dilys!"

A sallow-faced wizard with short, black bangs and an elderly witch with long silver ringlets in the frame beside him, both of whom seemed to have been in the deepest of sleeps, opened their eyes immediately.

"You were listening?" said Dumbledore.

The wizard nodded, the witch said, "Naturally."

"The man has red hair and glasses," said Dumbledore. "Everard, you will need to raise the alarm, make sure he is found by the right people —"

Both nodded and moved sideways out of their frames, but instead of emerging in neighbouring pictures (as usually happened at Hogwarts), neither reappeared; one frame now contained nothing but a backdrop of dark curtain, the other a handsome leather armchair. It was easy to tell the portraits were faking their deep sleep, the murmur of voices had come from them after all as Dumbledore spoke amongst the otherwise empty room. Even now they sneaked peaks at her and Harry, causing her to believe they had been talking about the two of them when they'd knocked.

"Everard and Dilys were two of Hogwarts's most celebrated Heads," Dumbledore said, now sweeping around Alicia, Harry, Ginny Ron, and Professor McGonagall and approaching the magnificent sleeping bird on his perch beside the door. "Their renown is such that both have portraits hanging in other important Wizarding institutions. As they are free to move between their own portraits they can tell us what may be happening elsewhere…"

"But Mr. Weasley could be anywhere!" said Harry.

"No." Alicia mumbled and Harry looked at her.

It was dark and stone, and if Mr Weasley wasn't at home or work, then the only other place she could think of would be on guard duty for the Order, as the Order members had been taking turns doing over the summer. Were they still guarding the weapon Voldemort wanted? Alicia believed it was in the Ministry, when she thought about it, the place the snake had seen, reminded her of the corridors down to the courtroom Harry had had his hearing in. Was Mr Weasley really at the Ministry of Magic? Alicia looked at Dumbledore who was watching her, it was like he could read her mind ticking over. Perhaps he could use Legitimency.

"Please sit down, all of you," said Dumbledore, turning his gaze from Alicia and not commenting on what either twin said. "Everard and Dilys may not be back for several minutes… Professor McGonagall, if you could draw up extra chairs…"

Professor McGonagall pulled her wand from the pocket of her dressing gown and waved it; three chairs appeared out of thin air, straight-backed and wooden, quite unlike the comfortable chintz armchairs that Dumbledore had conjured back at Harry's hearing.

They sat down and Harry watched Dumbledore who was stroking Fawkes.

"We will need," said Dumbledore very quietly to the bird, "a warning."

There was a flash of fire and the phoenix had gone.

Dumbledore now swooped down upon one of the fragile silver instruments, carried it over to his desk, sat down facing them again, and tapped it gently with the tip of his wand.

The instrument tinkled into life at once with rhythmic clinking noises. Tiny puffs of pale green smoke issued from the minuscule silver tube at the top. Dumbledore watched the smoke closely, his brow furrowed, and after a few seconds, the tiny puffs became a steady stream of smoke that thickened and coiled in the air… A serpent's head grew out of the end of it, opening its mouth wide.

"Naturally, naturally," murmured Dumbledore apparently to himself, still observing the stream of smoke without the slightest sign of surprise. "But in essence divided?"

The smoke serpent split itself instantly into two snakes, both coiling and undulating in the dark air. With a look of grim satisfaction Dumbledore gave the instrument another gentle tap with his wand: The clinking noise slowed and died, and the smoke serpents grew faint, became a formless haze, and vanished.

Alicia had watched intently. What was divided and why were there two snakes?

Something else that caught her attention, how had she and Harry seen what the snake saw? What connection did that have to Voldemort?

 _Voldemort has a snake…_

Yes but that didn't explain why they'd been in the snake's head, and not Voldemort's?

 _Unless Voldemort has a connection with the snake? You see Voldemort through Harry, could you both see through Voldemort to the snake?_

But what is the connection!? It frustrated her so much, why was this happening?

Dumbledore replaced the instrument upon its spindly little table.

The silence was broken when there was a shout from the top of the wall to their right; the wizard called Everard had reappeared in his portrait, panting slightly.

"Dumbledore!"

"What news?" said Dumbledore at once.

"I yelled until someone came running," said the wizard, who was mopping his brow on the curtain behind him, "said I'd heard something moving downstairs — they weren't sure whether to believe me but went down to check — you know there are no portraits down there to watch from. Anyway, they carried him up a few minutes later. He doesn't look good, he's covered in blood, I ran along to Elfrida Cragg's portrait to get a good view as they left —"

"Good," said Dumbledore as Ron made a convulsive movement and Ginny's grip tightened on Alicia's arm. "I take it Dilys will have seen him arrive, then —"

And moments later, the silver-ringleted witch had reappeared in her picture too; she sank, coughing, into her armchair and said, "Yes, they've taken him to St. Mungo's, Dumbledore… They carried him past under my portrait… He looks bad…"

"Thank you," said Dumbledore. He looked around at Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, I need you to go and wake the other Weasley children."

"Of course…"

Professor McGonagall got up and moved swiftly to the door; Harry cast a sideways glance at Ron, who was now looking terrified.

"And Dumbledore — what about Molly?" said Professor McGonagall, pausing at the door.

"That will be a job for Fawkes when he has finished keeping a lookout for anybody approaching," said Dumbledore. "But she may already know… that excellent clock of hers…"

Alicia knew Dumbledore was referring to the clock that told, not the time, but the whereabouts and conditions of the various Weasley family members, and with a pang she thought that Mr. Weasley's hand must, even now, be pointing at "mortal peril." But it was very late… Mrs. Weasley was probably asleep, not watching the clock… Although if Alicia had a clock like that and one of the family members was in mortal peril, she'd have it make a noise to warn her about it.

Dumbledore was now rummaging in a cupboard behind Alicia, Ginny, Harry and Ron. He emerged from it carrying a blackened old kettle, which he placed carefully upon his desk. He raised his wand and murmured " _Portus_ "; for a moment the kettle trembled, glowing with an odd blue light, then it quivered to a rest, as solidly black as ever.

Dumbledore marched over to another portrait, this time of a clever-looking wizard with a pointed beard, who had been painted wearing the Slytherin colours of green and silver and was apparently sleeping so deeply that he could not hear Dumbledore's voice when he attempted to rouse him.

"Phineas. _Phineas_."

Alicia looked at this portrait, the Slytherin colours are what had caught her attention, for she knew that Phineas Black was a Slytherin head master and Sirius had told them he was the least liked headmaster as well.

Of course his portrait would be in the Headmaster's office. And what a brilliant way to contact Sirius. Alicia grinned. To think they had some way of contacting Sirius right within these walls. Of course Dumbledore was ignoring Harry and they couldn't always come up here.

It seemed Phineas' character hadn't changed whether he was a person or a portrait for he refused to acknowledge Dumbledore, pretending to be so deep in sleep, unlike the other portraits who all turned and shifted to watch what was happening.

"Phineas! _Phineas_! PHINEAS!" The other portraits joined in in calling his name.

He could not pretend any longer; he gave a theatrical jerk and opened his eyes wide.

"Did someone call?"

"I need you to visit your other portrait again, Phineas," said Dumbledore. "I've got another message."

Another? Had Dumbledore been communicating with Sirius regularly then?

"Visit my other portrait?" said Phineas in a reedy voice, giving a long, fake yawn (his eyes traveling around the room and focusing upon Harry and Alicia). "Oh no, Dumbledore, I am too tired tonight…"

The portraits did not like his answer.

"Insubordination, sir!" roared a corpulent, red-nosed wizard, brandishing his fists. "Dereliction of duty!"

"We are honour-bound to give service to the present Headmaster of Hogwarts!" cried a frail-looking old wizard whom Harry recognised as Dumbledore's predecessor, Armando Dippet. "Shame on you, Phineas!"

"Shall I persuade him, Dumbledore?" called a gimlet-eyed witch, raising an unusually thick wand that looked not unlike a birch rod.

"Oh, very _well_ ," said Phineas, eyeing this wand slightly apprehensively, "though he may well have destroyed my picture by now, he's done most of the family —"

"Sirius knows not to destroy your portrait," said Dumbledore.

"You give him too little credit." Alicia grumbled but Dumbledore continued.

"You are to give him the message that Arthur Weasley has been gravely injured and that his wife, children, and Harry and Alicia Potter will be arriving at his house shortly. Do you understand?"

"Arthur Weasley, injured, wife and children and Harry and Alicia Potter coming to stay," recited Phineas in a bored voice. "Yes, yes… very well…"

He sloped away into the frame of the portrait and disappeared from view at the very moment that the study door opened again. Fred and George were ushered inside by Professor McGonagall, both twins of them looking disheveled and shocked, still in their night things.

"Alicia — what's going on?" asked Fred "Professor McGonagall says you saw Dad hurt —"

"Your father has been injured in the course of his work for the Order of the Phoenix," said Dumbledore before Alicia or Harry could speak. "He has been taken to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I am sending you back to Sirius' house, which is much more convenient for the hospital than the Burrow. You will meet your mother there."

"How're we going?" asked Fred, looking shaken. "Floo powder?"

"Umbridge is watching the Floo Networks." Alicia said irritably and Dumbledore nodded to her.

"Floo powder is not safe at the moment, the Network is being watched. You will be taking a Portkey." He indicated the old kettle lying innocently on his desk. "We are just waiting for Phineas Nigellus to report back… I wish to be sure that the coast is clear before sending you —"

"What about our stuff?" Alicia suddenly wondered.

There was a flash of flame in the very middle of the office, leaving behind a single golden feather that floated gently to the floor.

"It is Fawkes's warning," said Dumbledore, catching the feather as it fell. "She must know you're out of your beds… Minerva, go and head her off — tell her any story —"

"Or hex her!" Alicia said and the Weasley's all looked at her. "What?" she mumbled "Deserves it."

Professor McGonagall was gone in a swish of tartan.

"He says he'll be delighted," said a bored voice behind Dumbledore; Phineas had reappeared in front of his Slytherin banner. "My great-great-grandson has always had odd taste in houseguests…"

"Come here, then," Dumbledore said to Harry, Alicia and the Weasleys. "And quickly, before anyone else joins us…"

Harry and the others gathered around Dumbledore's desk.

"You have all used a Portkey before?" asked Dumbledore, and they nodded, each reaching out to touch some part of the blackened kettle. "Good. On the count of three then… one…. two…"

It happened in a fraction of a second: In the infinitesimal pause before Dumbledore said "three," Harry looked up at him — they were very close together — and Dumbledore's clear blue gaze moved from the Portkey to Harry's face.

Alicia felt a white hot pain in her neck as though her scar wanted to split it open and she reached for neck before looking at Harry. He was staring at Dumbledore and Alicia felt sick from the anger that rose within Harry. She stared shocked and Dumbledore looked at her as she looked between the two of them, her hand on her scar.

Neither said anything until Dumbledore finished.

"… _three_."

There was a jerk from behind the naval and the ground was gone from below them, their hands glued to the kettle as they banged shoulders from the speed and swirl of colours, wind rushing by them.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36:

Alicia felt her feet slam into the ground and she stumbled forwards but managed to stay standing. Instantly a voice reached them as the kettle clattered to the ground.

"Back again, the blood traitor brats, is it true their father's dying…?"

"OUT!" roared a second voice.

Alicia looked up to find her in Grimmaul Place's basement kitchen. The fire was roaring and one handle was illuminating a solitary supper on the table. Kreacher was disappearing through the door to the hall and Sirius hurried forwards looking anxious.

Alicia ran forwards and threw her arms around her Godfather, ignoring how he was still in his day clothes and was as unshaven as usual.

"What's going on?" he said, rubbing Alicia's arm comfortingly. "Phineas Nigellus said Arthur's been badly injured —"

"Ask Harry," said Fred.

"Yeah, I want to hear this for myself," said George.

The twins and Ginny were staring at him. Kreacher's footsteps had stopped on the stairs outside.

"It was —" Harry began; this was even worse than telling McGonagall and Dumbledore. "I had a — a kind of — vision…"

"It was terrible." Alicia mumbled and Sirius patted her back as Harry told them what they had seen, although he changed the story, saying he had been watching from the sidelines instead of being the snake. It was like he felt guilty, like he'd attacked Mr Weasley instead of somehow making his way into the snake's mind and seeing what it saw.

Ginny and Ron, who had heard what he'd told Dumbledore, said nothing about his change of story. They continued to stare at Harry for a moment when he was done. Alicia finally released Sirius and looked at them, she was surprised to see some sort of accusation in their looks.

Maybe she couldn't blame them for that…

"Is Mum here?" said Fred, turning to Sirius.

"She probably doesn't even know what's happened yet," said Sirius. "The important thing was to get you away before Umbridge could interfere. I expect Dumbledore's letting Molly know now."

"We've got to go to St. Mungo's," said Ginny urgently. She looked around at her brothers; they were of course still in their pyjamas. "Sirius, can you lend us cloaks or anything — ?"

"Hang on, you can't go tearing off to St. Mungo's!" said Sirius.

" 'Course we can go to St. Mungo's if we want," said Fred, with a mulish expression, "he's our dad!"

"And how are you going to explain how you knew Arthur was attacked before the hospital even let his wife know?"

"What does that matter?" said George hotly.

"It matters because we don't want to draw attention to the fact that Harry or Alicia are having visions of things that are happening hundreds of miles away!" said Sirius angrily. "Have you any idea what the Ministry would make of that information?"

Fred and George looked as though they could not care less what the Ministry made of anything. Ron was still white-faced and silent. Ginny said, "Somebody else could have told us… We could have heard it somewhere other than Harry…"

"Like who?" said Sirius impatiently. "Listen, your dad's been hurt while on duty for the Order and the circumstances are fishy enough without his children knowing about it seconds after it happened, you could seriously damage the Order's —"

"We don't care about the dumb Order!" shouted Fred.

"It's our dad dying we're talking about!" yelled George.

"Your father knew what he was getting into, and he won't thank you for messing things up for the Order!" said Sirius angrily in his turn. "This is how it is — this is why you're not in the Order — you don't understand — there are things worth dying for!"

"Easy for you to say, stuck here!" bellowed Fred. "I don't see you risking your neck!"

Alicia looked at Fred shocked. What little colour Sirius had in his face, drained. He almost looked like he wanted to hit Fred.

"I know it's hard, but we've all got to act as though we don't know anything yet. We've got to stay put, at least until we hear from your mother, all right?"

Fred and George still looked mutinous. Ginny, however, took a few steps over to the nearest chair and sank into it. Harry looked at Ron, who made a funny movement somewhere between a nod and shrug, and they sat down too. The twins glared at Sirius for another minute and Alicia moved forwards to wrap her arms around Fred and give him a hug. George looked at her and she gave him a look.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled "But at least he's at St Mungo's, he's getting looked at and cared for and so quickly too." she assured before looking at Fred and running her fingers through his hair. "It'll be alright." she said turning to George. The two looked at one another and then as Alicia released Fred, they took seats on either side of Ginny, Fred taking Alicia's hand as though it calmed him down.

"That's right," said Sirius encouragingly, "come on, let's all… let's all have a drink while we're waiting. _Accio Butterbeer_!"

He raised his wand as he spoke and half a dozen bottles came flying toward them out of the pantry, skidded along the table, scattering the debris of Sirius's meal, and stopped neatly in front of the seven of them. They all drank, and for a while the only sounds were those of the crackling of the kitchen fire and the soft thud of their bottles on the table.

They didn't talk until suddenly there was a burst of fire in midair which illuminated the dirt plates in front of them. Each of them cried out in surprise and a scroll of parchment fell with a thud onto the table, accompanied by a single golden phoenix tail feather.

"Fawkes!" said Sirius at once, snatching up the parchment. "That's not Dumbledore's writing — it must be a message from your mother — here —"

He thrust the letter into George's hand, who ripped it open and read aloud, " _Dad is still alive. I am setting out for St. Mungo's now. Stay where you are. I will send news as soon as I can. Mum._ "

George looked around the table.

"Still alive…" he said slowly. "But that makes it sound…"

"Like it's close…" Alicia finished looking horrified. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head.

This was terrible.

Still exceptionally pale, Ron stared at the back of his mother's letter as though it might speak words of comfort to him. Fred pulled the parchment out of George's hands and read it for himself, then looked up at Harry, who felt his hand shaking on his butterbeer bottle again and clenched it more tightly to stop the trembling.

None of them left the kitchen. Sirius suggested they all went to bed but without any real conviction, and the Weasleys' looks of disgust were answer enough for him to drop the idea. They mostly sat in silence around the table, watching the candle wick sinking lower and lower into liquid wax, now and then raising bottles to their lips, speaking only to check the time, to wonder aloud what was happening, and to reassure one another that if there was bad news, they would know straightaway, for Mrs. Weasley must long since have arrived at St. Mungo's.

Fred fell into a doze, his head sagging sideways onto Alicia's shoulder. Ginny was curled like a cat on her chair, but her eyes were open; Harry could see them reflecting the firelight. Ron was sitting with his head in his hands, whether awake or asleep it was impossible to tell. And he, Alicia and Sirius looked at each other every so often, intruders upon the family grief, waiting… waiting…

And then, at ten past five in the morning by Ron's watch, the kitchen door swung open and Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen. She was extremely pale, but when they all turned to look at her, Fred, Ron, and Harry half-rising from their chairs, she gave a wan smile.

"He's going to be all right," she said, her voice weak with tiredness. "He's sleeping. We can all go and see him later. Bill's sitting with him now, he's going to take the morning off work."

Fred fell back into his chair with his hands over his face. George and Ginny got up, walked swiftly over to their mother, and hugged her. Ron gave a very shaky laugh and downed the rest of his butterbeer in one.

"Breakfast!" said Sirius loudly and joyfully, jumping to his feet. "Where's that accursed house-elf? Kreacher! KREACHER!"

But Kreacher did not answer the summons. Alicia looked around surprised, didn't Kreacher have to obey Sirius? And of course he would have heard Sirius… She looked around the room cautiously. There wasn't a chance he'd left the mansion was there?

"Oh, forget it, then," muttered Sirius, counting the people in front of him. "So it's breakfast for — let's see — eight… Bacon and eggs, I think, and some tea, and toast —"

Harry hurried over to the stove to help. Alicia did the same as to give the Weasley's some family time. She worried slightly about Mrs Weasley's reaction to the two of them, would she blame them like her children did?

It seemed the answer was no, for she instantly grabbed her and Harry in a hug.

"I don't know what would have happened if it hadn't been for you, Harry, Alicia," she said in a muffled voice. "They might not have found Arthur for hours, and then it would have been too late, but thanks to you he's alive and Dumbledore's been able to think up a good cover story for Arthur being where he was, you've no idea what trouble he would have been in otherwise, look at poor Sturgis…"

Alicia smiled up at her.

"I'm just glad he's okay, and what with all you and Mr Weasley do for us," Alicia looked at Harry.

Mrs Weasley patted her cheek before turning to Sirius and thanking him for looking after her children through the night. Sirius said that he was very pleased to have been able to help, and hoped they would all stay with him as long as Mr. Weasley was in hospital.

"Oh, Sirius, I'm so grateful… They think he'll be there a little while and it would be wonderful to be nearer… Of course, that might mean we're here for Christmas…"

"Really!?" Alicia asked excitedly. Never had she had a Christmas with a family member besides Harry. She grinned at Sirius at the idea.

"The more the merrier!" said Sirius with such obvious sincerity that Mrs. Weasley beamed at him, threw on an apron, and began to help with breakfast.

"Sirius," Harry muttered. "Can I have a quick word? Er — _now_?"

Harry grabbed Alicia's hand and walked into the dark pantry with Sirius following. Without preamble Harry told his godfather every detail of the vision he had had, including the fact that he himself had been the snake who had attacked Mr. Weasley.

When he paused for breath, Sirius said, "Did you tell Dumbledore this?"

"Yes," said Harry impatiently, "but he didn't tell me what it meant. Well, he doesn't tell me anything anymore…"

"I'm sure he would have told you if it was anything to worry about," said Sirius steadily.

"Or he has a reason for not talking to Harry." Alicia added but it was brushed aside.

"But that's not all," said Harry in a voice only a little above a whisper. "Sirius, I… I think I'm going mad… Back in Dumbledore's office, just before we took the Portkey… for a couple of seconds there I thought I was a snake, I felt like one — my scar really hurt when I was looking at Dumbledore — Sirius, I wanted to attack him —"

Alicia reached up for her scar and Sirius saw the movement as Alicia remembered the pain.

"But your scar hurt too…" she mumbled "And that happens when Voldemort's involved…" she cut off and her eyes widened slightly.

They knew Harry could see in Voldemort's mind… what if the process was reversed?

"It must have been the aftermath of the vision, that's all," said Sirius. "You were still thinking of the dream or whatever it was and —"

"It wasn't that," said Harry, shaking his head. "It was like something rose up inside me, like there's a snake inside me —"

"You need to sleep," said Sirius firmly. "You're going to have breakfast and then go upstairs to bed, and then you can go and see Arthur after lunch with the others. You're in shock, Harry; you're blaming yourself for something you only witnessed, and it's lucky you did witness it or Arthur might have died. Just stop worrying…."

He clapped Harry on the shoulder and left the pantry, leaving Harry standing alone in the dark.

"But… what if there's something to worry about…" Alicia whispered and Harry looked at her. "Harry, remember how Dumbledore said we had a connection that was deeper than twins?" she asked and he nodded.

"Well… have you noticed how my connection to you, is similar to your connection to Voldemort?" she whispered and Harry looked at her. "I don't understand how you and him can have a connection like you and me when there's no relation between you two that we know of…" she mumbled.

"I think Dumbledore wasn't completely honest when he explained that connection." she said "And now, I think what ever the connection is, the snake's involved too."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37:

Everyone spent the rest of the morning asleep, Alicia proceeded up to her room from the summer, the twins following her up the stairs. Alicia laid down to sleep but wasn't sure about whether she was comfortable doing so.

 _You didn't become a snake, you saw through it. In fact you saw it through Harry._

"Which means Harry's probably not asleep." she believed, he'd be worried about what had happened and worried about the prospect of it happening again.

Alicia however couldn't help but doze off. Such the early morning and all the stress and trouble she was exhausted. And this time her dreams were peaceful.

She was woken by Mrs Weasley at lunch time who then trotted down the stairs to make lunch, calling for her to wake the twins, boys and Ginny, who had the room to herself as Hermione wasn't here.

Alicia tracked into the twins' room to find them sprawled out over their beds and she kicked George in the leg who grunted and proceeded to sit on Fred who jumped.

"Your mother's making lunch." she mumbled before slumping sideways. "Wants you to get up."

"You're doing a great job." Fred grumbled

"I had a big night."

"Lunch!" Mrs Weasley's voice travelled up the stairs. The three of them groaned and George muttered into his pillow.

"You don't eat you go hungry till dinner." Fred replied and Alicia sat up

"Yeah that's not worth it." she decided and got back to her feet. "Come on. We're going to St Mungo's remember. Wanna see your dad or not?" she wondered. And with a sigh the two got up and followed her down the stairs to the kitchen. Harry, Ron and Ginny were already down there sitting amongst the table as well as Mrs Weasley and Sirius. Kreacher was still yet to be seen.

Alicia noticed that amongst the riotously happy and talkative people, Harry was rather silent and to himself. She didn't make a comment of it incase he didn't want everyone remembering what he saw.

The trunks of the Weasley's and two Potters arrived as they were eating lunch and they all lugged them to their rooms to change into their muggle clothes. Tonks and Mad-Eye arrived to escort them to London, Mad-Eye wearing the bowler had to cover his magical eye in which everyone laughed at. It was made a point that the Bowler hat, tipped on an angle, was more likely to to catch attention than Tonk's short bright pink hair.

They made their way to the underground and Tonks began to question Harry on his vision, seeming most interested and not noticing Harry's reluctance to answer.

"There isn't any Seer blood in your family, is there?" she inquired curiously, as they sat side by side on a train rattling toward the heart of the city.

"No," said Harry. The only seer they'd met was Trelawney and Alicia wasn't surprised Harry took offence to the question.

"No," said Tonks musingly, "no, I suppose it's not really prophecy you're doing, is it? I mean, you're not seeing the future, you're seeing the present… It's odd, isn't it? Useful, though…"

Though she couldn't disagree, Alicia wasn't sure if she liked the idea of them seeing people getting viciously attacked by snakes.

They got off at the next stop and Fred and George acted as a barrier between Harry and Tonks as the latter led the way up the escalator as Moody brought up the rear.

Alicia had never been to St Mungo's but assumed it was as hidden as Hogwarts or Diagon Alley. Muggles obviously couldn't go into the magical hospital, the types of injuries there would definitely give away everything. Harry seemed to wonder where the hospital was hidden as well for he asked Moody.

"Not far from here," grunted Moody as they stepped out into the wintry air on a broad store-lined street packed with Christmas shoppers. "Wasn't easy to find a good location for a hospital. Nowhere in Diagon Alley was big enough and we couldn't have it underground like the Ministry — unhealthy. In the end they managed to get hold of a building up here. Theory was sick wizards could come and go and just blend in with the crowd…"

"How can sick wizards blend in? They'd have the weirdest injuries." Alicia thought.

A moment later they stopped.

"Here we go," said Moody a moment later.

They had arrived outside a large, old-fashioned, red brick department store called Purge and Dowse Ltd. The place had a shabby, miserable air; the window displays consisted of a few chipped dummies with their wigs askew, standing at random and modelling fashions at least ten years out of date. Large signs on all the dusty doors read closed for refurbishment. Alicia heard in passing, a large woman laden with plastic shopping bags say to her friend as they passed, "It's never open, that place… "

"Right," said Tonks, beckoning them forward to a window displaying nothing but a particularly ugly female dummy whose false eyelashes were hanging off and who was modelling a green nylon pinafore dress. "Everybody ready?"

They nodded, clustering around her; Moody gave Harry a shove between the shoulder blades to urge him forward and Tonks leaned close to the glass, looking up at the very ugly dummy and said, her breath steaming up the glass, "Wotcher… We're here to see Arthur Weasley."

Alicia watched curiously, wondering if the dummy would have heard her over the bustling of the buses, people and through the glass when she hardly rose her voice. But then the dummy gave a tiny nod and beckoned them with it's finger. Tonks seized Ginny and Mrs. Weasley by the elbows, stepped right through the glass and vanished. Alicia gapped before grinning and she took Fred's hand as he, George and Ron went next and stepped through the glass. It was like cool water but the other side was quite warm and she was completely dry.

The other side of the glass was not as it appeared from the outside. The dummy was gone and so were her surroundings. Instead they stood in a busy reception where rows and rows of witches and and wizards sat upon rickety wooden chairs, some looking perfectly normal and perusing out-of-date copies of Witch Weekly, others sporting gruesome disfigurements such as elephant trunks or extra hands sticking out of their chests. The room was scarcely less quiet than the street outside, for many of the patients were making very peculiar noises. A sweaty-faced witch in the centre of the front row, who was fanning herself vigorously with a copy of the Daily Prophet, kept letting off a high-pitched whistle as steam came pouring out of her mouth, and a grubby-looking warlock in the corner clanged like a bell every time he moved, and with each clang his head vibrated horribly, so that he had to seize himself by the ears and hold it steady.

Witches and wizards in lime-green robes were walking up and down the rows, asking questions and making notes on clipboards like Umbridge's. All of them wore the same emblem embroidered on their chests: a wand and bone, crossed.

"Are they doctors?" Harry asked Ron quietly, after stepping through the glass with Mad-Eye behind her.

"Doctors?" said Ron, looking startled. "Those Muggle nutters that cut people up? Nah, they're Healers."

"Over here!" called Mrs. Weasley over the renewed clanging of the warlock in the corner, and they followed her to the queue in front of a plump blonde witch seated at a desk marked inquiries. The wall behind her was covered in notices and posters saying things like a clean cauldron keeps potions from becoming poisons and antidotes are anti-don'ts unless approved by a qualified healer. There was also a large portrait of a witch with long silver ringlets that was labelled

 _DILYS DERWENT_

 _St. mungo's healer 1722–1741_

 _Headmistress of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, 1741–1768_

Dilys was eyeing the Weasley party as though counting them; Alicia grinned at her and waved as they passed and she waved back before Harry caught her eye and she gave a tiny wink, walked sideways out of her portrait, and vanished.

Meanwhile, at the front of the queue, a young wizard was performing an odd on-the-spot jig and trying, in between yelps of pain, to explain his predicament to the witch behind the desk.

"It's these — ouch — shoes my brother gave me — ow — they're eating my — OUCH — feet — look at them, there must be some kind of — AARGH — jinx on them and I can't — AAAAARGH — get them off —"

He hopped from one foot to the other as though dancing on hot coals.

"The shoes don't prevent you reading, do they?" said the blonde witch irritably, pointing at a large sign to the left of her desk. "You want Spell Damage, fourth floor. Just like it says on the floor guide. Next!"

The wizard hobbled and pranced sideways out of the way, the Weasley party moved forward a few steps and Alicia moved to read the floor guide:

ARTEFACT ACCIDENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ground Floor

(Cauldron explosion, wand backfiring, broom crashes, etc.)

CREATURE-INDUCED INJURIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Floor

(Bites, stings, burns, embedded spines, etc.)

MAGICAL BUGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Second Floor

(Contagious maladies, e.g., dragon pox, vanishing sickness, scrofungulus)

POTION AND PLANT POISONING. . . . . . . . . . . . .Third Floor

(Rashes, regurgitation, uncontrollable giggling, etc.)

SPELL DAMAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fourth Floor

(Unliftable jinxes, hexes, and incorrectly applied charms, etc.)

VISITORS' TEAROOM AND HOSPITAL SHOP. . . . .Fifth Floor

If you are unsure where to go, incapable, of normal speech, or unable to remember why you are here, our Welcome Witch will be pleased to help.

A very old, stooped wizard with a hearing trumpet had shuffled to the front of the queue now.

"I'm here to see Broderick Bode!" he wheezed.

"Ward forty-nine, but I'm afraid you're wasting your time," said the witch dismissively "He's completely addled, you know, still thinks he's a teapot… Next!"

A harassed-looking wizard was holding his small daughter tightly by the ankle while she flapped around his head using the immensely large, feathery wings that had sprouted right out the back of her romper suit.

"Fourth floor," said the witch in a bored voice, without asking, and the man disappeared through the double doors beside the desk, holding his daughter like an oddly shaped balloon. "Next!"

Mrs. Weasley moved forward to the desk.

"Hello," she said. "My husband, Arthur Weasley, was supposed to be moved to a different ward this morning, could you tell us — ?"

"Arthur Weasley?" said the witch, running her finger down a long list in front of her. "Yes, first floor, second door on the right, Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Weasley. "Come on, you lot."

They followed through the double doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with more portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds. More witches and wizards in lime-green robes walked in and out of the doors they passed; a foul-smelling yellow gas wafted into the passageway as they passed one door, and every now and then they heard distant wailing. They climbed a flight of stairs and entered the "Creature-Induced Injuries" corridor, where the second door on the right bore the words "dangerous" dai llewellyn ward: serious bites. Underneath this was a card in a brass holder on which had been handwritten _Healer-in-Charge: Hippocrates Smethwyck, Trainee Healer: Augustus Pye._

"We'll wait outside, Molly," Tonks said. "Arthur won't want too many visitors at once… It ought to be just the family first."

Mad-Eye growled his approval of this idea and set himself with his back against the corridor wall, his magical eye spinning in all directions. Alicia decided family first was a good idea and moved to let Ginny pass her, Fred however seemed to disagree for he and George shared a look before hooking their elbows through her arms and pulling her inside. Harry drew back too, but Mrs. Weasley reached out a hand and pushed him through the door, saying, "Don't be silly, Harry, Arthur wants to thank you…"

The ward was small and rather dingy as the only window was narrow and set high in the wall facing the door. Most of the light came from more shining crystal bubbles clustered in the middle of the ceiling. The walls were of panelled oak and there was a portrait of a rather vicious-looking wizard on the wall, captioned Urquhart Rackharrow, 1612– 1697, inventor of the entrail-expelling curse.

There were only three patients. Mr. Weasley was occupying the bed at the far end of the ward beside the tiny window. Alicia smiled at seeing him propped up on several pillows and reading the _Daily Prophet_ by the solitary ray of sunlight falling onto his bed. He looked around as they walked toward him and, seeing whom it was, beamed.

Besides the fact that he was in the hospital he didn't seem sick at all.

"Hello!" he called, throwing the _Prophet_ aside. "Bill just left, Molly, had to get back to work, but he says he'll drop in on you later…"

"How are you, Arthur?" asked Mrs. Weasley, bending down to kiss his cheek and looking anxiously into his face. "You're still looking a bit peaky…"

"I feel absolutely fine," said Mr. Weasley brightly, holding out his good arm to give Ginny a hug. "If they could only take the bandages off, I'd be fit to go home."

"Why can't they take them off, Dad?" asked Fred.

"Well, I start bleeding like mad every time they try," said Mr. Weasley cheerfully, reaching across for his wand, which lay on his bed-side cabinet, and waving it so that seven extra chairs appeared at his bed-side to seat them all. "It seems there was some rather unusual kind of poison in that snake's fangs that keeps wounds open… They're sure they'll find an antidote, though, they say they've had much worse cases than mine, and in the meantime I just have to keep taking a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour. But that fellow over there," he said, dropping his voice and nodding toward the bed opposite in which a man lay looking green and sickly and staring at the ceiling. "Bitten by a werewolf, poor chap. No cure at all."

"A werewolf?" whispered Mrs. Weasley, looking alarmed. "Is he safe in a public ward? Shouldn't he be in a private room?"

"It's two weeks till full moon," Mr. Weasley reminded her quietly. "They've been talking to him this morning, the Healers, you know, trying to persuade him he'll be able to lead an almost normal life. I said to him — didn't mention names, of course — but I said I knew a werewolf personally, very nice man, who finds the condition quite easy to manage…"

"What did he say?" asked George.

"Said he'd give me another bite if I didn't shut up," said Mr. Weasley sadly. "And that woman over there," he indicated the only other occupied bed, which was right beside the door, "won't tell the Healers what bit her, which makes us all think it must have been something she was handling illegally. Whatever it was took a real chunk out of her leg, very nasty smell when they take off the dressings."

"So, you going to tell us what happened, Dad?" asked Fred, pulling his chair closer to the bed.

"Well, you already know, don't you?" said Mr. Weasley, with a significant smile at Harry and Alicia. "It's very simple — I'd had a very long day, dozed off, got sneaked up on, and bitten."

"Is it in the _Prophet_ , you being attacked?" asked Fred, indicating the newspaper Mr. Weasley had cast aside.

"No, of course not," said Mr. Weasley, with a slightly bitter smile, "the Ministry wouldn't want everyone to know a dirty great serpent got —"

"Arthur!" said Mrs. Weasley warningly.

"— got — er — me," Mr. Weasley said hastily, though Harry was quite sure that was not what he had meant to say.

Alicia chuckled. No the Ministry wouldn't want to admit that a giant snake got all the way down to the courtrooms, especially as, if she remembered correctly, the furthest down the lift went was the Department of Mysteries. Alicia grinned, was the weapon in the Department of Mysteries?

The twins looked at Alicia and raised an eyebrow at one another.

"So where were you when it happened, Dad?" asked George.

"That's my business," said Mr. Weasley, though with a small smile. He snatched up the _Daily Prophet_ , shook it open again and said, "I was just reading about Willy Widdershins's arrest when you arrived. You know Willy turned out to be behind those regurgitating toilets last summer? One of his jinxes backfired, the toilet exploded, and they found him lying unconscious in the wreckage covered from head to foot in —"

"When you say you were 'on duty,'" Fred interrupted in a low voice, "what were you doing?"

"You heard your father," whispered Mrs. Weasley, "we are not discussing this here! Go on about Willy Widdershins, Arthur —"

"Well, don't ask me how, but he actually got off on the toilet charge," said Mr. Weasley grimly. "I can only suppose gold changed hands —"

"You were guarding it, weren't you?" said George quietly. "The weapon? The thing You-Know-Who's after?"

"George, be quiet!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

"Course he was." Alicia said to the two twins "I told you it was at the Ministry of magic," she looked proud of herself and the twins rolled their eyes to have Alicia nudge them, they smirked.

"Anyway," said Mr. Weasley in a raised voice, "this time Willy's been caught selling biting doorknobs to Muggles, and I don't think he'll be able to worm his way out of it because according to this article, two Muggles have lost fingers and are now in St. Mungo's for emergency bone regrowth and memory modification. Just think of it, Muggles in St. Mungo's! I wonder which ward they're in?"

And he looked eagerly around as though hoping to see a signpost.

"Didn't you say You-Know-Who's got a snake, Harry?" asked Fred, looking at his father for a reaction. "A massive one? You saw it the night he returned, didn't you Alicia?" She nodded.

"That's enough," said Mrs. Weasley crossly. "Mad-Eye and Tonks are outside, Arthur, they want to come and see you. And you lot can wait outside," she added to her children, Alicia and Harry. "You can come and say good-bye afterward. Go on…"

They trooped back into the corridor. Mad-Eye and Tonks went in and closed the door of the ward behind them. Fred raised his eyebrows.

"Fine," he said coolly, rummaging in his pockets, "be like that. Don't tell us anything."

"Guess we'll just have to find out if the weapons in the Department of Mysteries ourselves." Alicia shrugged innocently and they all looked at her.

"What? I was with Harry when he went down those stone corridors and none of the rest of the Ministry had that stone so." she confessed as Fred reached into a pocket.

"Looking for these?" said George, holding out what looked like a tangle of flesh-coloured string.

"You read my mind," said Fred, grinning. "Let's see if St. Mungo's puts Imperturbable Charms on its ward doors, shall we?"  
He and George disentangled the string and separated six Extendable Ears from each other. Fred and George handed them around.

Harry hesitated to take one.

"Go on, Harry, take it! You saved Dad's life, if anyone's got the right to eavesdrop on him it's you…"

"I don't know how that works but…" Alicia muttered but she didn't bother to hesitate in taking the extendable ear.

Grinning in spite of himself, Harry took the end of the string and inserted it into his ear as the twins had done.

"Okay, go!" Fred whispered.

The flesh-coloured strings wriggled like long skinny worms, then snaked under the door. For a few seconds Harry could hear nothing, then he heard Tonks whispering as clearly as though she were standing right beside him.

"… they searched the whole area but they couldn't find the snake anywhere, it just seems to have vanished after it attacked you, Arthur… But You-Know-Who can't have expected a snake to get in, can he?"

"I reckon he sent it as a lookout," growled Moody, " 'cause he's not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he's trying to get a clearer picture of what he's facing and if Arthur hadn't been there the beast would've had much more time to look around. So Potter says he saw it all happen?"

"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley. She sounded rather uneasy. "You know, Dumbledore seems almost to have been waiting for Harry to see something like this…"

"Yeah, well," said Moody, "there's something funny about the Potter kids, we all know that."

"Dumbledore seemed worried about Harry when I spoke to him this morning," whispered Mrs. Weasley.

" 'Course he's worried," growled Moody. "The boy's seeing things from inside You-Know-Who's snake… Obviously, Potter doesn't realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who's possessing him —"

Alicia scoffed as Harry pulled the Extendable Ear out of his own, she wasn't the only one looked at him, but the others were all staring at him, the strings still trailing from their ears, looking suddenly fearful.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38:

They didn't speak as they sat on the train back from the hospital, and Alicia was lost in her thoughts over what they'd heard.

Dumbledore knew of Harry's connection to Voldemort. And since Voldemort had come back he'd been practically ignoring Harry. Even when he'd gone to visit Alicia he'd been distant and proper. Was it the idea that Voldemort could be possessing Harry that scared Dumbledore? Or made him back away? And why was that at all helpful to Harry?

And if it was a problem, why did Dumbledore not do something to help Harry? To block Voldemort out.

 _After all, Legilimency is a thing, there must be counter for it_. But of course the book Alicia had taken from the Room of Requirement was in her trunk back at Grimmauld Place, she had yet to reach that chapter if there was one, for she kept it hidden from the others.

Dumbledore must be distancing himself from Harry because of his connection to Voldemort, but is it out of caution or fear? It seems completely ineffective because Harry was still being affected. He hadn't seen Dumbledore in months besides dinners at Hogwarts and yet he still dreamed of Mr Weasley's attack.

"Are you all right, Harry, dear?" whispered Mrs. Weasley, leaning across Ginny to speak to him as the train rattled along through its dark tunnel. "You don't look very well. Are you feeling sick?"

They were all watching him besides Alicia beside him, who was staring at the floor, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. He shook his head violently and stared up at an advertisement for home insurance.

"Harry, dear, are you sure you're all right?" said Mrs. Weasley in a worried voice, as they walked around the unkempt patch of grass in the middle of Grimmauld Place. "You look ever so pale… Are you sure you slept this morning? You go upstairs to bed right now, and you can have a couple of hours' sleep before dinner, all right?"

Alicia watched Harry as he did not respond but simply nodded. She could feel him. He was horrified and, almost feeling some sort of worry, but not for himself. And she knew he wanted nothing more than to be away from everyone.

She wasn't sure why he was feeling this though, he wasn't possessed by Voldemort, and he had not been in the Ministry of Magic last night, he'd been in his dormitory. There was no way he could have crossed that space while asleep. And he couldn't become a snake. No it made more sense that he saw into the snake through Voldemort, like Alicia saw into Voldemort through Harry. And even that she did not know the reason for the connection.

Harry basically ran for his room when Mrs Weasley opened the door to Grimmauld place and they heard the door on the first landing shut with a snap. Ron stood beside Alicia who's eyebrows were furrowed.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He just heard that Mad-Eye thinks he's being possessed. And Mad-Eye knows about Dark wizards what do you think's wrong with him?" Alicia asked "Five galleons he believes it."

"Come off it." Ron said and Alicia rose an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry, did you not have that look of horror like the others?"

"Well what do you think?" Ginny asked as she stood on Alicia's other side.

"I think they're all stupid. Harry's not possessed." she said

"How do you know?" Fred asked as he looked up the stairs from behind her.

"First of all, I had the dream too, now if Harry had been possessed and somehow managed to leave Hogwarts to attack your father, don't you think the same would have happened to me? I did not leave my bed and I was not possessed. I see and feel what Harry does because we have some sort of connection. Dumbledore said it was a connection deeper than twins." She explained as the adults had disappeared past them and down into the kitchen. "Now the connection between Harry and I are like our minds are linked or like I can read his mind. So far from what I've witnessed Harry and Voldemort have the same connection, it's got nothing to do with possession, its some mind bond thing. Now I've got no idea why Harry has one with Voldemort but so far I'm believing that something else happened when that curse rebounded from Harry and I onto Voldemort. Problem is Dumbledore's ignoring Harry and wont tell us anything for me to ask." She sighed.

"But if Harry is possessed isn't that why Dumbledore isn't saying anything?" Fred thought

"Harry isn't possessed and if anything is happening, it's that Voldemort is getting into his head. Now I'm positive there'll be someway to prevent that so wouldn't it be easier to try and teach that to Harry and stop all of this? And yet Dumbledore chooses not to even say anything instead."

"So You-Know-Who is in Harry's head?" Ginny asked and Ron looked rather pale.

Alicia looked at them all.

"To be honest I think Harry's in his head, but, I don't know if it's the same for the reverse…" she whispered.

Alicia looked back to the stairs and missed the frightening look the Weasley's gave one another before they moved off towards the kitchen themselves. Alicia watched them leave and went to follow but she could feel desperation and concern. Harry wasn't asleep, she knew that much, but he was definitely thinking hard about something.

The girl climbed the stairs quietly and moved to Harry and Ron's room. She opened the door quietly only to find Harry pulling on his trunk towards the door. She crossed her arms and leaned on the frame but before she could say anything and catch his attention, or ask where he was planning to go, another voice spoke first. "Running away, are we?"

Alicia looked up at the portrait on the wall. Phineas Nigellus had appeared upon the canvas of his portrait and was leaning against the frame, watching Harry with an amused expression on his face.

"Not running away, no," said Harry shortly, dragging his trunk a few more feet across the room. Alicia rose an eyebrow. He was clearly running for some reason what with his trunk so packed.

"I thought," said Phineas Nigellus, stroking his pointed beard, "that to belong in Gryffindor House you were supposed to be brave? It looks to me as though you would have been better off in my own house. We Slytherins are brave, yes, but not stupid. For instance, given the choice, we will always choose to save our own necks."

"It's not my own neck I'm saving," said Harry tersely, tugging the trunk over a patch of particularly uneven, moth-eaten carpet.

"Oh I see," said Phineas Nigellus, still stroking his beard. "This is no cowardly flight — you are being _noble_."

Harry ignored him and turned to the door only to stop when he saw Alicia. She stared him down.

"If you're not running, then where do you intend to go and for what purpose?" she questioned. Harry pursed his lips as he stared at his sister.

Could he really believed he's being possessed by Voldemort and therefore was a danger to everyone here?

Phineas Nigellus spoke before Harry could. "I have a message for you from Albus Dumbledore."

Harry spun around.

"What is it?"

"Stay where you are."

"I haven't moved!" said Harry. Alicia rolled her eyes. "So what's the message?"

"I have just given it to you, dolt," said Phineas Nigellus smoothly. "Dumbledore says, ' _Stay where you are_.' "

"Why?" said Harry eagerly, dropping the end of his trunk. "Why does he want me to stay? What else did he say?"

"Nothing whatsoever," said Phineas Nigellus, raising a thin black eyebrow as though he found Harry impertinent.

Alicia felt Harry's anger rise sharply.

"So that's it, is it?" he said loudly. " _Stay there_? That's all anyone could tell me after I got attacked by those dementors too! Just stay put while the grown-ups sort it out, Harry! We won't bother telling you anything, though, because your tiny little brain might not be able to cope with it!"

"You know," said Phineas Nigellus, even more loudly than Harry, "this is precisely why I loathed being a teacher! Young people are so infernally convinced that they are absolutely right about everything. Has it not occurred to you, my poor puffed-up popinjay, that there might be an excellent reason why the headmaster of Hogwarts is not confiding every tiny detail of his plans to you? Have you never paused, while feeling hard-done-by, to note that following Dumbledore's orders has never yet led you into harm? No. No, like all young people, you are quite sure that you alone feel and think, you alone recognise danger, you alone are the only one clever enough to realise what the Dark Lord may be planning…"

"He _is_ planning something to do with me, then?" said Harry swiftly.

"Did I say that?" said Phineas Nigellus, idly examining his silk gloves. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than to listen to adolescent agonising… Good day to you…"

"Thanks Professor Phineas!" Alicia said quickly as the man strolled into his frame and out of sight.

Harry was less then pleasant.

"Fine, go then!" Harry bellowed at the empty frame. "And tell Dumbledore thanks for nothing!"

The empty canvas remained silent. Fuming, Harry dragged his trunk back to the foot of his bed, then threw himself facedown upon the moth-eaten covers.

"Thanks for nothing?" Alicia questioned, irritatedly. "He just stopped you from your own stupidity, I think that's something."

"He gave me nothing. He just told me to stay." Harry said, lifting his head slightly.

"Yes because Voldemort wants to kill you and running away is walking straight into his hands!" Alicia suddenly fumed, surprising Harry who turned to look at her. "Where the hell were you even planning on going? And for what purpose?"

"Voldemort is possessing me. I'm giving him a straight view into the Orders plans and all those at Hogwarts. The best thing for them is to leave, where I'm not a danger to anyone." Harry responded. But he was surprised when Alicia just scoffed.

"Don't be absolutely stupid." and he blinked at her.

"First of all you're reaching in Voldemort's mind, so far. Like I reach into yours. You haven't been able to reach into mine as far as I'm aware, so what's to say Voldemort even knows what you're doing?" She questioned "Besides you were in a snake's head not Voldemort's."

"And what's to say that snake wasn't Voldemort?" Harry asked. Alicia stared at him.

"You think Voldemort's an animagus?" she asked and Harry shrugged. "What use would Voldemort have in turning into a snake when he already has one that does his bidding?" Alicia questioned "Or did you forget about Nagini?" she demanded "That giant-ass pet snake of his. And with his parseltongue as well?"

"Then how did I see it?"

"I don't know, I haven't found a book to help me." Alicia said irritatedly "And that's not from lack of trying. So far all I've found is about legilimency."

"What?"

"It's like reading minds." Alicia explained "But it's a little more complex than that. Look there's something going on between you, me and Voldemort and our minds and it's nothing normal. Something happened that night and it connected us all and I'm pretty sure Dumbledore has some idea of it."

"Then why wouldn't he tell us!?" Harry demanded

"Because for some reason he's keeping his distance." Alicia said "Maybe he thinks it's better for us, maybe he's worried about something I don't know, but what ever it is it's preventing me from asking too many questions and finding out." Harry looked at her irritatedly and glanced at Phineas' empty portrait. "Now, don't be stupid and leave this house. Stay put and I suggest you get some sleep. You can't stay awake forever and the last thing you probably want is Mrs Weasley asking you heaps of questions and fussing over you." Alicia grabbed the door knob and closed the door on the boy. She then proceeded down the stairs to where everyone was discussing in the kitchen. Fred and George were trying to get more information out of Mrs Weasley who ended up shouting at them to stop asking.

"If you want information you're asking the wrong person." Alicia whispered to them as she sat at the table beside them.

"Oh yeah and you'd know."

"I clearly know more than you." she shrugged before grabbing some parchment and a quil to sit down.

"What are you doing?" Ginny wondered

"What's it look like? I'm writing to Hermione." Alicia confessed

"Why?" Ron questioned

"Don't you think, after I woke up screaming my head off that she'd sort of want to know what the hell happened?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore would have let her know." Ron thought

"Yes but he doesn't know what we've heard. Look Harry's going to shut himself away, I can feel his reluctance and stupidity from here."

"Stupidity?" Fred asked

"I just walked in on him trying to heave his trunk out of the room."

"What?" they all demanded

"Don't ask me where he was planning on going but he thought he'd leave to protect everyone." she rolled her eyes.

"You convinced him to stay then?"

"That and Phineas' portrait gave him a message from Dumbledore to do so. Ron don't be surprised if you see the portrait in his frame more often, I bet anything Dumbledore's going to have him watch us." Alicia sighed

"But Umbridge will know, if Hermione get's a letter, who it'll be from." Ginny believed

"She's got to know which is Hermione's first. I'm not silly." Alicia assured and then she paused. "I can't use Noel or Hedwig because they're at Hogwarts and Sirius doesn't have an owl." she mumbled before slumping in her seat. The four shared a look.

"So what do you mean about knowing more than us?" Fred asked her

"Look I'm absolutely positive that your dad was at the Ministry of Magic, outside the Department of Mysteries door, almost at the very bottom of the Ministry." Alicia said "I believed the Ministry would have what ever this weapon is and I know the Order take turns guarding it. Plus if that was Voldemort's snake like I think it was, then it would explain why it was there in the first place."

"But what makes you think where dad was is the Ministry of Magic?" George whispered as Mrs Weasley walked past to leave the room for a second.

"Well I was with Harry, in a manner of speaking, when he went to the Ministry of Magic for his hearing remember? And he had to go down to the courtrooms right at the bottom. The lift didn't even go down that far. At each stop the lift announces what's at each level and the Department of Mysteries was the last one. This floor was completely different to all the others, it was stone and cold and dark, like the dungeons in Hogwarts. The rest of the Ministry isn't like that from what I've seen." Alicia explained "I think it's the Ministry in general however because Voldemort's broken into Gringotts before so can't hide something there and Umbridge is at Hogwarts so can't hide it there and what's to say that whatever this weapon is Dumbledore can even get his hands on it? For that it'd have to be in the Ministry, if it's something that powerful where else would it be?" Alicia offered.

They all looked at her and she shrugged. "The perks to seeing the vision."

"I'm still confused on why Harry tried to leave." Ron said after a few minutes silence.

"Because he thinks he's being possessed and is giving Voldemort a clear view into the Order and all of you guys." Alicia rolled her eyes "He has no idea what being possessed is even like and one person says the words and he's set. He even thinks Voldemort is an animagus and that's how he saw what the snake did. I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow believed he'd actually left Hogwarts as well instead of dreaming it."

"Did you tell him otherwise?" Ginny wondered

"I tried." she grumbled "To be honest I'm just hoping he's fallen asleep."

"Well it's easy to find out if he's being possessed or not." Ginny believed

"How?" Ron asked

"Maybe because Ginny was possessed by Voldemort?" Alicia said obviously and Ron looked at her before turning back to his sister. "Considering she was almost killed in her first year of Hogwarts I'm surprised you forgot about that." Alicia mumbled.

"Well I guess we can find out at dinner." Ginny shrugged

"Yeah, if he joins us." Alicia mumbled and the four looked at her. "He was planning on running away, you think his mind set of being around us has changed just cause he's stuck in this house?" she asked.

None of them spoke.

Ron was sent up by Mrs Weasley to wake Harry up and let him know it was dinner time, but the woman had been worried enough for his health and wellbeing that she wasn't forcing his presence.

Harry didn't arrive and the Weasley children all looked at Alicia who shrugged. She wasn't exactly surprised.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39:

Alicia was up early the next morning and was surprised to find Sirius was as well. What surprised her more was the cheerfulness he was casting out of himself. Alicia had never seen him in such a good mood. Mrs Weasley wished him good morning and he gave her a hug while saying it back.

The Weasley's came muttering their way down the stairs as if it was too early but Sirius' high spirits quickly changed that until everyone was helping put up Christmas decorations. Sirius' singing was infectious as they worked and soon they were all joining in. Everyone that is, expect Harry, who hid himself into the drawing room until Mrs Weasley called him for lunch, in which Alicia heard his footsteps move up the stairs and into Sirius' mother's room with Buckbeak.

No one had bothered to talk to Harry and no one had looked at him, but Mrs Weasley expressed her worry and discomfort as to his behaviour. Alicia told her he was being stupid and that if she hit him over the head, it was all he needed. The red headed women hadn't been all that pleased with that answer despite the twins snickering at it.

"I think it'd work." Fred mumbled to her and she shrugged.

The doorbell rang in surprise to everyone at about six o'clock and Mrs Weasley moved to fetch it as Mrs Black started screaming as usual. Alicia moved to close the curtains as Sirius seemed too happy to care and was surprised to find Hermione at the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly after having closed the curtains.

"Well I wasn't going skiing after what happened!" she said "Dumbledore told me all about it."

"I'd hoped he would. I thought about writing too you but I haven't got Noel." Alicia admitted

"I thought you were supposed to be skiing?" Ron said appearing behind Alicia "Not that good is it?" he started laughing.

"It's actually really good, but some things are more important." Hermione snapped at him and Ron looked surprised. "So where's Harry?"

"Hiding." Ginny said as she joined them.

"What do you mean?"

"He hasn't eaten anything or joined us since lunch yesterday." Alicia admitted

"Why?"

"Well we went to St Mungo's yesterday and we used the extendable ears to listen in on Mum, Dad, Tonks and Mad-Eye," Ron explained as he glance up the hallway, Mrs Weasley had disappeared down into the kitchen again.

"Mad-Eye made a comment about Harry being possessed by You-Know-Who." Ginny sighed and Hermione looked surprised

"And then yesterday I caught Harry trying to lug his trunk out of his room towards the stairs." Alicia added, her arms crossed

"What for?"

"Harry seems to believe he's better off away from all of us and so he's isolated himself because he's possessed. And I bet he's angry at us all too because he thinks we gossiping about him." Alicia said

"But of course he's not possessed." Hermione believed

"You think we've been able to convince him of that. He hasn't spoken to anyone to allow us to remind him of Ginny being possessed. Although we have been a bit busy readying the house for Christmas." the black-haired girl explained.

"Well, that's just stupid." and Hermione began to move up the stairs, Ron offered to help her with her trunk and she agreed as they moved to the first landing. Ron took the trunk into Ginny and Hermione's shared room before Hermione turned to the two red-heads. "You wait here, I'll go get him."

"Oh, here dears," Mrs Weasley appeared behind them with a plate. "He needs to eat something and if he'd rather eat alone…" she sighed and handed Ginny the plate in which a heap of sandwiches sat upon.

"Come on." Alicia nodded her head and moved up the stairs with Hermione following, while Ginny and Ron moved into his and Harry's room to wait. They reached Sirius' mother's room and Hermione hammered on the door.

There was no answer.

"I know you're in there," said Hermione to the door. "Will you please come out? I want to talk to you."

Silence.

"Stop being a git Harry. You're being rude and stupid." Alicia insulted. There was movement before Harry opened the door and sent his sister a scowl. "Don't look at me like that." she snapped but Harry turned to Hermione

"What are you doing here?" he asked her as Buckbeak resumed his scratching at the straw-strewn floor for any fragments of rat he might have dropped. "I thought you were skiing with your mum and dad."

"Well, to tell the truth, skiing's not really my thing," said Hermione. "So I've come for Christmas." There was snow in her hair and her face was pink with cold. "But don't tell Ron that, I told him it's really good because he kept laughing so much. Anyway, Mum and Dad are a bit disappointed, but I've told them that everyone who's serious about the exams are staying at Hogwarts to study. They want me to do well, they'll understand. Anyway," she said briskly, "let's go to your bedroom, Ron's mum's lit a fire in there and she's sent up sandwiches."

Alicia went first and Hermione followed with Harry at the back. Ron and Ginny were waiting and sitting on Ron's bed. Alicia moved to sit on Harry's as she felt his irritation building.

"I came on the Knight Bus," said Hermione airily, pulling off her jacket before Harry had time to speak. "Dumbledore told me what had happened first thing this morning, but I had to wait for term to end officially before setting off. Umbridge is already livid that you lot disappeared right under her nose, even though Dumbledore told her Mr. Weasley was in St. Mungo's, and he'd given you all permission to visit. So…"

She sat down next to Ginny, and the two girls and Ron looked up at Harry.

"How're you feeling?" asked Hermione.

"Fine," said Harry stiffly.

"Oh, don't lie, Harry," she said impatiently. "Alicia, Ron and Ginny say you've been hiding from everyone since you got back from St. Mungo's."

"They do, do they?" said Harry, glaring at Ron, Ginny and his sister. Ron looked down at his feet but Ginny seemed quite unabashed.

"Well, you have!" she said. "And you won't look at any of us!"

"It's you lot who won't look at me!" said Harry angrily.

"It's kind of hard too when you're avoiding us and hiding like a coward." Alicia snapped back, her tone just as angry. She was over his behaviour, he made a decision to ignore them all and then gets angry about it.

"Maybe you're taking it in turns to look and keep missing each other," suggested Hermione, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"Very funny," snapped Harry, turning away.

"Oh, stop feeling all misunderstood," said Hermione sharply. "Look, the others have told me what you overheard last night on the Extendable Ears —"

"Yeah?" growled Harry, his hands deep in his pockets as he watched the snow now falling thickly outside. "All been talking about me, have you? Well, I'm getting used to it…"

"Well if you conversed with us a little we wouldn't have to!" Alicia commented

"We wanted to talk _to you_ , Harry," said Ginny, "but as you've been hiding ever since we got back —"

"I didn't want anyone to talk to me," said Harry, who was feeling more and more nettled.

"Well, that was a bit stupid of you," said Ginny angrily, "seeing as you don't know anyone but me who's been possessed by You-Know-Who, and I can tell you how it feels."

Harry remained quite still as the impact of these words hit him. Then he turned on the spot to face her.

"I forgot," he said. Alicia threw her hands up into the air in frustration.

"Lucky you," said Ginny coolly.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, and he meant it. "So… so do you think I'm being possessed, then?"

"Well, can you remember everything you've been doing?" Ginny asked. "Are there big blank periods where you don't know what you've been up to?"

Harry racked his brains.  
"No," he said.

"Then You-Know-Who hasn't ever possessed you," said Ginny simply. "When he did it to me, I couldn't remember what I'd been doing for hours at a time. I'd find myself somewhere and not know how I got there."

"That dream I had about your dad and the snake, though —"

"Harry, you've had these dreams before," Hermione said. "You had flashes of what Voldemort was up to last year."

"This was different," said Harry, shaking his head. "I was inside that snake. It was like I was the snake…"

"Those kinds of dreams we have had. One of them we were the old muddle caretaker Frank remember? The first time we saw Voldemort in that… ugly form. During the summer last year." Alicia mumbled "This isn't that much different to that." she believed.

Harry looked at her, his lips pursed as he thought but Alicia could feel the hope and comfort he was feeling by all these words.

"What if Voldemort somehow transported me to London — ?"

"One day," said Hermione, sounding thoroughly exasperated, "you'll read _Hogwarts, A History_ —"

"No they wont." Alicia interjected but Hermione continued

"— and perhaps that will remind you that you can't Apparate or Disapparate inside Hogwarts. Even Voldemort couldn't just make you fly out of your dormitory, Harry."

"You didn't leave your bed, mate," said Ron. "I saw you thrashing around in your sleep about a minute before we could wake you up…" Harry started pacing up and down the room again, thinking. He took a sandwich as he passed and crammed it hungrily into his mouth…

 _I'm not the weapon after all,_ thought Harry.

"Oh my god." Alicia grumbled and Harry looked at her as she banged her forehead to the wall. "How am I related to you?" she looked at the celling and Harry actually chuckled as the other's looked confused.

The atmosphere brightened significantly as Sirius walked past their door towards Buckbeak's room, singing "God Rest Ye Merry, Hippogriffs" at the top of his voice.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40:

Sirius' mood was infectious. He was so delighted to have visitors and to have a full house again that he was no longer the sullen host he had been over the summer. He worked tirelessly in the run-up to Christmas Day, cleaning and decorating with their help, so that by the time they all went to bed on Christmas Eve the house was barely recognisable. The tarnished chandeliers were no longer hung with cobwebs but with garlands of holly and gold and silver streamers; magical snow glittered in heaps over the threadbare carpets; a great Christmas tree, obtained by Mundungus and decorated with live fairies, blocked Sirius's family tree from view; and even the stuffed elf heads on the hall wall wore Father Christmas hats and beards.

As usual in Hogwarts, Alicia woke on Christmas morning to find the stack of presents at the foot of her bed.

She moved to find the swishy parcel from Mr and Mrs Weasley which she knew held her hand knitted sweater and pulled it on.

Hermione had given her a planner for their exams in which she'd already began to write in. Ron had gotten her some chocolate frogs, probably wanting to collect the cards himself. Sirius and Lupin had collaborated and given her some books on charms, spells and defensive techniques. One book was a guide to being the best teacher. She knew immediately they were aimed at the D.A. meeting and had a feeling Harry would have something similar.

Hagrid had send her some treacle which Alicia had a feeling would glue her teeth together. Tonks had given her an imitation of a quaffle and Alicia placed it on her bedside table happily. And then there was a bundle of socks from Dobby. Alicia chuckled at the elf's thoughtfulness as she remembered that socks were Dobby's favourite thing.

She had finished with her gifts upon realising that Fred and George had neglected to get her anything. She was unsurprised but this as they never really did, until there was a crack and Fred appeared on her bed.

"Wearing yours already?" he asked nodding to her sweater.

"Well she does put a little extra care into mine." Alicia grinned "And they're so warm." she grinned

"Kinda boring getting one every year." he believed

"Only cause you've had it happen every year since you were how old? To me it's a gift from a family member and considering I didn't have one for eleven years that's important to me." she shrugged

"I guess." he shrugged "By the way thanks for the magical properties book."

"Well I had to think of something. I thought of giving you some gallons at one point but it's not as thoughtful." she confessed "George like his? I figured some cures for all the crap you two pull would be helpful too."

"Well he made a comment about how you clearly think we're incapable of knowing what's dangerous but," Fred smirked

"Coming from the two who couldn't ride brooms cause of boils." Alicia rolled her eyes. Fred chuckled before he handed her a parcel. Alicia was surprised, she'd never gotten a gift from the twins before.

"Thanks. You know you could have put it with all the others." she believed. Fred simply shrugged but watched her as she removed the wrapper. Inside was a box and when Alicia opened it she found a thick chained bracelet. It looked large enough to have charms hang off it. Alicia looked at it surprised.

"I hope you didn't spend too much of that prize money Harry gave you…" she said looking slightly worried

"On you? Never." Fred responded and Alicia rolled her eyes before she unclasped the bracelet and dropped it over her wrist. She held her arm out and Fred clasped it together.

Alicia shook her wrist and the chain slid around it as she grinned. Fred smirked at her before she leaned forwards to give him a hug.

"It's gorgeous. Thanks." she assured. There was a crack and the two turned to George who grinned at them.

"Merry Christmas." he said

"Merry Christmas George." Alicia smirked as he looked shmuck.

"So she like it?" George asked Fred, who rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of which, where's yours?" she asked, her hand out and George's grin dropped causing Fred to laugh.

"Well it was a joint thing." he decided

"Oh yeah?" she asked "I didn't see you here to present it to me."

"Well Fred wanted to do it."

"Yeah sure." Alicia said sharing a grin with Fred.

"By the way I suggest we don't go down stairs for a bit." George said changing the subject

"Why not?" the two chorused

"Percy sent his jumper back." George admitted "She's crying again. Left Lupin to cheer her up."

"That's a bit harsh…" Alicia mumbled, though she wasn't surprised. Percy said he wanted nothing to do with them after all.

"Come on, let's go see the others." Alicia grabbed her dressing gown before Fred took her hand and they appeared down into the two boys room. Fred and Alicia landed on Harry's bed and George on Ron's.

"Good morning. Merry Christmas." Alicia grinned

"Merry Christmas," said George. "Don't go downstairs for a bit."

"Why not?" said Ron.

"Mum's apparently crying again," said Fred heavily. "Percy sent back his Christmas jumper."

"Without a note," added George. "Hasn't asked how Dad is or visited him or anything… tried to comfort her," Fred moved around the bed to look at the paper Harry was holding in his hand. "Told her Percy's nothing more than a humongous pile of rat droppings, didn't work," said George, helping himself to a Chocolate Frog. "So Lupin took over. Best let him cheer her up before we go down for breakfast, I reckon."

"What's that supposed to be anyway?" asked Fred, squinting and Alicia crawled around to have a look. It looked a bit like a portrait of something. "Looks like a gibbon with two black eyes."

"It's Harry!" said George, pointing at the back of the picture. "Says so on the back!"

"Good likeness," said Fred, grinning. Harry threw his new homework diary at him and Alicia found herself back in her room, after going through the suffocating feeling of apparition as Fred avoided the book and dragged her with him.

Alicia got dressed and moved down the stairs to Hermione and Ginny's room to wish them Merry Christmas as many others within the house could be heard doing the same.

"Merry Christmas." they both chorused back as Alicia sat on Hermione's bed.

"Good haul?" Alicia wondered

"Very. Thanks for the wool and book." Hermione grinned

"Well, clearly you're not going to stop knitting so," Alicia mumbled and Ginny giggled.

"And you and Harry are genius'!" She picked up the book _New Theory of Numerology_ in which she and Harry had bought her.

"Well." Alicia said modestly, flicking her hair for effect and the two laughed.

"Hey who gave you that?" Ginny pointed at her bracelet on her wrist.

"Fred did." the girls looked at her surprised

"Fred and George have good taste." Hermione muttered as Alicia rose her wrist so she could see.

"Actually it's just from Fred." Alicia confessed. The two shared a look before they grinned.

"Well," Ginny said before looking down and picking up the parcel Alicia had gotten her, "Thank you Alicia,"

"Any time Ginny." Alicia grinned.

The two girls dressed before the three of them moved off towards the kitchen, meeting Harry and Ron as they did.

"Thanks for the book, Harry!" she said happily. "I've been wanting that _New Theory of Numerology_ for ages! And that perfume is really unusual, Ron."

"No problem," said Ron. "Who's that for anyway?" he added, nodding at the neatly wrapped present she was carrying.

"Kreacher," said Hermione brightly. Alicia sighed but felt that maybe Kreacher would appreciate a gift, at least if he didn't know who it was from.

"It had better not be clothes!" said Ron warningly. "You know what Sirius said, Kreacher knows too much, we can't set him free!"

"It isn't clothes," said Hermione, "although if I had my way I'd certainly give him something to wear other than that filthy old rag. No, it's a patchwork quilt, I thought it would brighten up his bedroom."

"What bedroom?" said Harry, dropping his voice to a whisper as they were passing the portrait of Sirius's mother.

"Well, Sirius says it's not so much a bedroom, more a kind of — _den_ ," said Hermione. "Apparently he sleeps under the boiler in that cupboard off the kitchen."

Mrs. Weasley was the only person in the basement when they arrived there. She was standing at the stove and sounded as though she had a bad head cold when she wished them Merry Christmas, and they all averted their eyes.

"So, this is Kreacher's bedroom?" said Ron, strolling over to a dingy door in the corner opposite the pantry which Harry had never seen open.

"Yes," said Hermione, now sounding a little nervous. "Er… I think we'd better knock…"

Ron rapped the door with his knuckles but there was no reply.

"He must be sneaking around upstairs," he said, and without further ado pulled open the door. " _Urgh_."

Most of the cupboard was taken up with a very large and old-fashioned boiler, but in the foot's space underneath the pipes Kreacher had made himself something that looked like a nest. A jumble of assorted rags and smelly old blankets were piled on the floor and the small dent in the middle of it showed where Kreacher curled up to sleep every night. Here and there among the material were stale bread crusts and mouldy old bits of cheese. In a far corner glinted small objects and coins that Kreacher must have saved, magpielike, from Sirius's purge of the house, and he had also managed to retrieve the silver-framed family photographs that Sirius had thrown away over the summer. Their glass might be shattered, but still the little black-and-white people inside them peered haughtily up at them, including the dark, heavy-lidded woman whose trial Alicia and Harry had witnessed in Dumbledore's Pensieve: Bellatrix Lestrange. By the looks of it, hers was Kreacher's favourite photograph; he had placed it to the fore of all the others and had mended the glass clumsily with Spellotape.

"I think I'll just leave his present here," said Hermione, laying the package neatly in the middle of the depression in the rags and blankets and closing the door quietly. "He'll find it later, that'll be fine…"

"Come to think of it," said Sirius, emerging from the pantry carrying a large turkey as they closed the cupboard door, "has anyone actually seen Kreacher lately?"

"I haven't seen him since the night we came back here," said Harry. "You were ordering him out of the kitchen."

"Yeah…" said Sirius, frowning. "You know, I think that's the last time I saw him, too… He must be hiding upstairs somewhere…"

"He couldn't have left, could he?" said Harry. "I mean, when you said 'out,' maybe he thought you meant, get out of the house?"

"No, no, house-elves can't leave unless they're given clothes, they're tied to their family's house," said Sirius.

"That doesn't mean they're confined to the house though…" Alicia mumbled as she looked around.  
"Yeah, they can leave the house if they really want to," Harry agreed. "Dobby did, he left the Malfoys' to give me warnings two years ago. He had to punish himself afterward, but he still managed it."

Sirius looked slightly disconcerted for a moment.

"Although you are the primary Black heir, there are others…" Alicia thought, the others looking at her as she spoke. "Doesn't mean he isn't off with another Black Member…"

"There are hardly any to worry about." Sirius said sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "I'll look for him later, I expect I'll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother's old bloomers or something… Of course, he might have crawled into the airing cupboard and died… But I mustn't get my hopes up…"

Fred, George, and Ron laughed; Hermione, however, looked reproachful.

"As long as that's all it is." Alicia hoped.

Once they had had their Christmas lunch, the Weasleys and Alicia, Harry and Hermione were planning to pay Mr. Weasley another visit, escorted by Mad-Eye and Lupin. Mundungus turned up in time for Christmas pudding and trifle, having managed to "borrow" a car for the occasion, as the Underground did not run on Christmas Day. The car, which was very unlikely taken with the knowledge or consent of its owner, had had a similar Enlarging Spell put upon it as the Weasleys' old Ford Anglia; although normally proportioned outside, ten people with Mundungus driving were able to fit into it quite comfortably. Mrs. Weasley hesitated at the point of getting inside; her disapproval of Mundungus seemed to be battling with her dislike of traveling without magic; finally the cold outside and her children's pleading triumphed, and she settled herself into the backseat between Fred and Bill with good grace.

The journey to St. Mungo's was quite quick, as there was very little traffic on the roads. A small trickle of witches and wizards were creeping furtively up the otherwise deserted street to visit the hospital. They all got out of the car, and Mundungus drove off around the corner to wait for them; they strolled casually toward the window where the dummy in green nylon stood, then, one by one, stepped through the glass.

The reception area looked pleasantly festive: The crystal orbs that illuminated St. Mungo's had been turned to red and gold so that they became gigantic, glowing Christmas baubles; holly hung around every doorway, and shining white Christmas trees covered in magical snow and icicles glittered in every corner, each topped with a gleaming gold star. It was less crowded than the last time they had been there, although halfway across the room Harry was shunted aside by a witch with a walnut jammed up her left nostril.

"Family argument, eh?" smirked the blonde witch behind the desk. "You're the third I've seen today… Spell Damage, fourth floor…"

They found Mr. Weasley propped up in bed with the remains of his turkey dinner on a tray in his lap and a rather sheepish expression on his face.

"Everything all right, Arthur?" asked Mrs. Weasley, after they had all greeted Mr. Weasley and handed over their presents.

"Fine, fine," said Mr. Weasley, a little too heartily. "You — er — haven't seen Healer Smethwyck, have you?"

"No," said Mrs. Weasley suspiciously, "why?"

"Nothing, nothing," said Mr. Weasley airily, starting to unwrap his pile of gifts. "Well, everyone had a good day? What did you all get for Christmas? Oh, _Harry_ — this is absolutely _wonderful_ —"

For he had just opened Harry's gift of fuse-wire and screwdrivers. Mrs. Weasley did not seem entirely satisfied with Mr. Weasley's answer. As her husband leaned over to shake Harry's hand, she peered at the bandaging under his nightshirt.

"Arthur," she said, with a snap in her voice like a mousetrap, "you've had your bandages changed. Why have you had your bandages changed a day early, Arthur? They told me they wouldn't need doing until tomorrow."

"What?" said Mr. Weasley, looking rather frightened and pulling the bed covers higher up his chest. "No, no — it's nothing — it's — I —"

He seemed to deflate under Mrs. Weasley's piercing gaze.

"Well — now don't get upset, Molly, but Augustus Pye had an idea… He's the Trainee Healer, you know, lovely young chap and very interested in… um… complementary medicine… I mean, some of these old Muggle remedies… well, they're called stitches, Molly, and they work very well on — on Muggle wounds —"

Mrs. Weasley let out an ominous noise somewhere between a shriek and a snarl. Lupin strolled away from the bed and over to the werewolf, who had no visitors and was looking rather wistfully at the crowd around Mr. Weasley; Bill muttered something about getting himself a cup of tea and Fred and George leapt up to accompany him, grinning.

"Do you mean to tell me," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice growing louder with every word and apparently unaware that her fellow visitors were scurrying for cover, "that you have been messing about with Muggle remedies?"

"Not messing about, Molly, dear," said Mr. Weasley imploringly. "It was just — just something Pye and I thought we'd try — only, most unfortunately — well, with these particular kinds of wounds — it doesn't seem to work as well as we'd hoped —"

" _Meaning_?"

"Well… well, I don't know whether you know what — what stitches are?"

"It sounds as though you've been trying to sew your skin back together," said Mrs. Weasley with a snort of mirthless laughter, "but even you, Arthur, wouldn't be that stupid —"

"I fancy a cup of tea too," said Harry, jumping to his feet.

"Good idea." Alicia agreed.

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny almost sprinted to the door with them. As it swung closed behind them, they heard Mrs. Weasley shriek, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THAT'S THE GENERAL IDEA?"

"Typical Dad," said Ginny, shaking her head as they set off up the corridor. "Stitches… I ask you…"

"Well, you know, they do work well on non-magical wounds," said Hermione fairly. "I suppose something in that snake's venom dissolves them or something…"

"You'd hope they'd be getting the venom out of his system by now." Alicia thought and Hermione nodded.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41:

"I wonder where the tearoom is?" Hermione said as she looked up and down the corridor.

"Fifth floor," said Harry, remembering the sign over the Welcome Witch's desk.

They walked along the corridor through a set of double doors and found a rickety staircase lined with more portraits of brutal-looking Healers. As they climbed it, the various Healers called out to them, diagnosing odd complaints and suggesting horrible remedies. Ron was seriously affronted when a medieval wizard called out that he clearly had a bad case of spattergroit.

"And what's that supposed to be?" he asked angrily, as the Healer pursued him through six more portraits, shoving the occupants out of the way.

" 'Tis a most grievous affliction of the skin, young master, that will leave you pockmarked and more gruesome even than you are now —"

"Watch who you're calling gruesome!" said Ron, his ears turning red.

"The only remedy is to take the liver of a toad, bind it tight about your throat, stand naked by the full moon in a barrel of eels' eyes —"

"I have not got spattergroit!"

"But the unsightly blemishes upon your visage, young master —"

"They're freckles!" said Ron furiously. "Now get back in your own picture and leave me alone!"

He rounded on the others, who were all keeping determinedly straight faces.

"What floor's this?"

"I think it's the fifth," said Hermione.

"Nah, it's the fourth," said Harry, "one more —"

But as he stepped onto the landing he came to an abrupt halt, staring at the small window set into the double doors that marked the start of a corridor signposted spell damage. Alicia looked at him confused before she, Hermione, Ginny and Ron joined him to see what he was looking at.

A man was peering out at them all with his nose pressed against the glass. He had wavy blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a broad vacant smile that revealed dazzlingly white teeth.

"You're got to be joking." Alicia mumbled

"Blimey!" said Ron, also staring at the man.

"Oh my goodness," said Hermione suddenly, sounding breathless. "Professor Lockhart!"

Their ex-Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher pushed open the doors and moved toward them, wearing a long lilac dressing gown.

"Well, hello there!" he said. "I expect you'd like my autograph, would you?"

"Hasn't changed much, has he?" Harry muttered to Ginny, who grinned.

"Er — how are you, Professor?" said Ron, sounding slightly guilty.

It had been Ron's malfunctioning wand that had damaged Professor Lockhart's memory so badly that he had landed here in the first place. Though Lockhart had been attempting to permanently wipe Alicia, Harry and Ron's memories at the time

"I'm very well indeed, thank you!" said Lockhart exuberantly, pulling a rather battered peacock-feather quill from his pocket. "Now, how many autographs would you like? I can do joined-up writing now, you know!"

"Er — we don't want any at the moment, thanks," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry, who asked, "Professor, should you be wandering around the corridors? Shouldn't you be in a ward?"

The smile faded slowly from Lockhart's face. For a few moments he gazed intently at Harry, then he said, "Haven't we met?"

"Er… yeah, we have," said Harry. "You used to teach us at Hogwarts, remember?"

"Teach?" repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled. "Me? Did I?"

And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming. "Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!"

"Remember last time we said he was a professor he believed he'd be dreadful at it?" Alicia asked before sighing in content at the idea. Ginny and Ron snickered

But just then a head poked out of a door at the far end of the corridor and a voice said, "Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?"

A motherly looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair came bustling up the corridor, smiling warmly at Harry and the others.

"Oh Gilderoy, you've got visitors! How _lovely_ , and on Christmas Day too! Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can't think why, he's such a sweetie, aren't you?"

"We're doing autographs!" Gilderoy told the Healer with another glittering smile. "They want loads of them, won't take no for an answer! I just hope we've got enough photographs!"

"Listen to him," said the Healer, taking Lockhart's arm and beaming fondly at him as though he were a precocious two-year-old. "He was rather well known a few years ago; we very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory might be coming back a little bit. Will you step this way? He's in a closed ward, you know, he must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents, the door's usually kept locked… not that he's dangerous! But," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "bit of a danger to himself, bless him… Doesn't know who he is, you see, wanders off and can't remember how to get back… It _is_ nice of you to have come to see him —"

"Er," said Ron, gesturing uselessly at the floor above, "actually, we were just — er —"

But the Healer was smiling expectantly at them, and Ron's feeble mutter of "going to have a cup of tea" trailed away into nothingness. They looked at one another rather hopelessly and then followed Lockhart and his Healer along the corridor.

"Let's not stay long," Ron said quietly.

"What don't you want to stay with your favourite tutor?" Alicia wondered looking generally surprised. Ron shot her a glare and she grinned, causing Ginny and Hermione to chuckle.

The Healer pointed her wand at the door of the Janus Thickey ward and muttered " _Alohomora._ " The door swung open and she led the way inside, keeping a firm grasp on Gilderoy's arm until she had settled him into an armchair beside his bed.

"This is our long-term resident ward," she informed Alicia, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in a low voice. "For permanent spell damage, you know. Of course, with intensive remedial potions and charms and a bit of luck, we can produce some improvement… Gilderoy does seem to be getting back some sense of himself, and we've seen a real improvement in Mr. Bode, he seems to be regaining the power of speech very well, though he isn't speaking any language we recognise yet… Well, I must finish giving out the Christmas presents, I'll leave you all to chat…"

Compared to Mr Weasley's word, this ward bore unmistakable signs of being a permanent home to its residents. They had many more personal effects around their beds than in Mr. Weasley's ward; the wall around Gilderoy's headboard, for instance, was papered with pictures of himself, all beaming toothily and waving at the new arrivals. He had autographed many of them to himself in disjointed, childish writing. The moment he had been deposited in his chair by the Healer, Gilderoy pulled a fresh stack of photographs toward him, seized a quill, and started signing them all feverishly.

"You can put them in envelopes," he said to Ginny, throwing the signed pictures into her lap one by one as he finished them. "I am not forgotten, you know, no, I still receive a very great deal of fan mail… Gladys Gudgeon writes _weekly_ … I just wish I knew _why_ …" He paused, looking faintly puzzled, then beamed again and returned to his signing with renewed vigour. "I suspect it is simply my good looks…"

A sallow-skinned, mournful-looking wizard lay in the bed opposite, staring at the ceiling; he was mumbling to himself and seemed quite unaware of anything around him. Two beds along was a woman whose entire head was covered in fur; something similar had happened to Hermione during their second year, although fortunately the damage, in her case, had not been permanent. At the far end of the ward flowery curtains had been drawn around two beds to give the occupants and their visitors some privacy.

"Here you are, Agnes," said the Healer brightly to the furry-faced woman, handing her a small pile of Christmas presents. "See, not forgotten, are you? And your son's sent an owl to say he's visiting tonight, so that's nice, isn't it?"

Agnes gave several loud barks.

"And look, Broderick, you've been sent a potted plant and a lovely calendar with a different fancy hippogriff for each month, they'll brighten things up, won't they?" said the Healer, bustling along to the mumbling man, setting a rather ugly plant with long, swaying tentacles on the bedside cabinet and fixing the calendar to the wall with her wand. "And — oh, Mrs. Longbottom, are you leaving already?"

Alicia turned quickly, Harry doing the same. The curtains had been drawn back from the two beds at the end of the ward and two visitors were walking back down the aisle between the beds: a formidable-looking old witch wearing a long green dress, a moth-eaten fox fur, and a pointed hat decorated with what was unmistakably a stuffed vulture and, trailing behind her looking thoroughly depressed — _Neville_.

Alicia and Harry shared a worried look, they knew what Neville was doing here and understood who the people in the beds were. Harry cast around wildly for some means of distracting the others so that Neville could leave the ward unnoticed and unquestioned, but Ron had looked up at the sound of the name "Longbottom" too, and before Harry could stop him had called, " _Neville_!"

Neville jumped and cowered as though a bullet had narrowly missed him.

"It's us, Neville!" said Ron brightly, getting to his feet. "Have you seen? Lockhart's here! Who've you been visiting?"

"Friends of yours, Neville, dear?" said Neville's grandmother graciously, bearing down upon them all.

Neville looked as though he would rather be anywhere in the world but here. A dull purple flush was creeping up his plump face and he was not making eye contact with any of them.

"Ah, yes," said his grandmother, looking closely at Harry and sticking out a shrivelled, clawlike hand for him to shake. "Yes, yes, I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you."

"Er — thanks," said Harry, shaking hands. Neville did not look at him, but stared at his own feet, the colour deepening in his face all the while.

"Which must mean that you are Alicia Potter." Alicia was surprised but smiled and shook her hand as she nodded.

"Nice to meet you Ma'am." she addressed politely. Neville's grandmother really did give off a strong persona.

"And you two are clearly Weasleys," Mrs. Longbottom continued, proffering her hand regally to Ron and Ginny in turn. "Yes, I know your parents — not well, of course — but fine people, fine people… and you must be Hermione Granger?"

Hermione looked rather startled that Mrs. Longbottom knew her name, but shook hands all the same.

"Yes, Neville's told me all about you. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven't you? He's a good boy," she said, casting a sternly appraising look down her rather bony nose at Neville, "but he hasn't got his father's talent, I'm afraid to say…" And she jerked her head in the direction of the two beds at the end of the ward, so that the stuffed vulture on her hat trembled alarmingly.

"What?" said Ron, looking amazed. "Is that your dad down the end, Neville?"

"Ron!" Alicia said and everyone looked at her "Have you ever thought that that might be a touchy question to ask?" she demanded and Ron looked surprised.

"What's this?" said Mrs. Longbottom sharply. "Haven't you told your friends about your parents, Neville?"

Neville took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling, and shook his head. Harry could not remember ever feeling sorrier for anyone, but he could not think of any way of helping Neville out of the situation.

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of!" said Mrs. Longbottom angrily. "You should be _proud_ , Neville, _proud_! They didn't give their health and their sanity so their only son would be ashamed of them, you know!"

"I'm not ashamed," said Neville very faintly, still looking anywhere but at Harry and the others. Ron was now standing on tiptoe to look over at the inhabitants of the two beds.

"Well, you've got a funny way of showing it!" said Mrs. Longbottom. "My son and his wife," she said, turning haughtily to Alicia, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, "were tortured into insanity by You-Know-Who's followers."

Hermione and Ginny both clapped their hands over their mouths. Ron stopped craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Neville's parents and looked mortified. Alicia and Harry shared a look.

"They were Aurors, you know, and very well respected within the Wizarding community," Mrs. Longbottom went on. "Highly gifted, the pair of them. I — yes, Alice dear, what is it?"

Neville's mother had come edging down the ward in her nightdress. She no longer had the plump, happy-looking face Harry and Alicia had seen in Moody's old photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. Her face was thin and worn now, her eyes seemed overlarge, and her hair, which had turned white, was wispy and dead-looking. She did not seem to want to speak, or perhaps she was not able to, but she made timid motions toward Neville, holding something in her outstretched hand.

"Again?" said Mrs. Longbottom, sounding slightly weary. "Very well, Alice dear, very well — Neville, take it, whatever it is…"

But Neville had already stretched out his hand, into which his mother dropped an empty Droobles Blowing Gum wrapper.

"Very nice, dear," said Neville's grandmother in a falsely cheery voice, patting his mother on the shoulder. But Neville said quietly, "Thanks Mum."

His mother tottered away, back up the ward, humming to herself. Neville looked around at the others, his expression defiant, as though daring them to laugh, but there had never been anything less funny.

"Well, we'd better get back," sighed Mrs. Longbottom, drawing on long green gloves. "Very nice to have met you all. Neville, put that wrapper in the bin, she must have given you enough of them to paper your bedroom by now…"

But Neville didn't, as they left he slipped the wrapper into his pocket.

The door closed behind them.

"I never knew," said Hermione, who looked tearful.

"Nor did I," said Ron rather hoarsely.

"Nor me," whispered Ginny.

They all looked at Harry and Alicia.

"We did," Harry said glumly as Alicia frowned at the door. "Dumbledore told us but we promised we

wouldn't mention it… that's what Bellatrix Lestrange got sent to Azkaban for, using the Cruciatus Curse on Neville's parents until they lost their minds."

"Bellatrix Lestrange did that?" whispered Hermione, horrified. "That woman Kreacher's got a photo of in his den?"

"She seemed to believe that Neville's parents had information about Voldemort's whereabouts after he disappeared." Alicia frowned.

There was a long silence, broken by Lockhart's angry voice. "Look, I didn't learn joined-up writing for nothing, you know!"


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42:

It turned out that, to Sirius' assumption, Kreacher had been lurking in the attic. Sirius said he had found him up there, covered in dust, no doubt looking for more relics of the Black family to hide in his cupboard. Though Sirius seemed satisfied with this story, Alicia was not. Kreacher seemed to be in a better mood on his reappearance, his bitter muttering had subsided somewhat, and he submitted to orders more docilely than usual, though once or twice the house-elf was staring avidly at Harry, always looking quickly away when he saw that Harry had noticed.

Alicia had a sneaking suspicion he hadn't been in the attic all that time, but where he would go she was not sure. If Bellatrix had not been in Azkaban she's have thought him with her… seeing as he seemed to love her photo so much. Whether he was allowed to or not was another matter and what exactly he could speak about was also in question, as Alicia knew Sirius had forbidden him to tell details about the orders plans. But she hadn't at all forgotten that Bellatrix was Narcissa Malfoy's sister… could he have gone to them? To the Malfoys? Narcissa was still a Black, and she and her sister had married 'respectable pureblood husbands' so would he not like them more? As his Mistress did?

Alicia pushed the idea away, it was only speculation but she felt Kreacher would appreciate them better than he did Sirius, not that they'd probably treat him any better but she became more cautious around the elf all the same.

Alicia did not tell Sirius as to not worry him about it but she did believe that Kreacher should be kept out of the meetings from now on.

Sirius himself was beginning to get less and less cheerful now that Christmas was over. As the date of their departure back to Hogwarts drew nearer, he became more and more prone to what Mrs. Weasley called "fits of the sullens," in which he would become taciturn and grumpy, often withdrawing to Buckbeak's room for hours at a time. His gloom seeped through the house, oozing under doorways like some noxious gas, so that all of them became infected by it.

Harry had reminded Alicia that here in Grimmauld place was better than going back to Hogwarts, as the tyranny of Umbridge still loomed and she too had considered the idea of staying, though knew it was not an option.

"Yeah but if we don't go back we look guilty and we'd probably end up on the run. Not only that but Dumbledore wouldn't allow it if we tried." Alicia grumbled.

While Alicia had the D.A. meetings and Quidditch to look forward to Harry was still banned from the game. With exams drawing nearer and Harry and Ron's lack of organisation with their homework it seemed more of a dread for Harry than Alicia.

Unfortunately it seemed it was to get worse regardless.

"Alicia, Harry dear," said Mrs. Weasley, poking her head into Harry and Ron's bedroom, where the pair of them were playing wizard chess watched by Hermione, Ginny, and Crookshanks, while Alicia had her head in her Legilimency book, concealed by one of her bigger textbooks. "could you come down to the kitchen? Professor Snape would like a word with you."

Alicia looked up shocked.

"What?" she asked. Harry however did not immediately register what she had said; one of his castles was engaged in a violent tussle with a pawn of Ron's, and he was egging it on enthusiastically.

"Squash him — _squash him_ , he's only a pawn, you idiot — sorry, Mrs. Weasley, what did you say?"

"Professor Snape, dear. In the kitchen. He'd like a word."

Harry's mouth fell open in horror like Alicia's. He looked around at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, all of whom were gaping back at him. Crookshanks, whom Hermione had been restraining with difficulty for the past quarter of an hour, leapt gleefully upon the board and set the pieces running for cover, squealing at the top of their voices.

"Snape?" said Harry blankly.

" _Professor_ Snape, dear," said Mrs. Weasley reprovingly. "Now come on, quickly, he says he can't stay long."

"What's he want with you two?" said Ron, looking unnerved as Mrs. Weasley withdrew from the room.

"You haven't done anything, have you?"

"No!" said Harry indignantly, racking his brains to think what he could have done that would make Snape pursue him to Grimmauld Place. Had his last piece of homework perhaps earned a T?

"Not that I'm aware of." Alicia mumbled.

The two moved down the stairs regardless and to the kitchen, Harry pushing the door open to find Sirius and Snape both seated at the long kitchen table, glaring in opposite directions.

"And teenagers are called childish." Alicia commented, earning a glance from Harry.

The silence otherwise was heavy with the metal dislike between them and a letter lay open on the table in front of Sirius.

"Er," said Harry to announce his presence.

Snape looked around at him, his face framed between curtains of greasy black hair.

"Sit down, Potter."

"You know," said Sirius loudly, leaning back on his rear chair legs and speaking to the ceiling, "I think I'd prefer it if you didn't give orders here, Snape. It's my house, you see."

An ugly flush suffused Snape's pallid face. Harry sat down in a chair beside Sirius, facing Snape across the table.

"Can we not start stupid petty arguments." Alicia decided giving Sirius a look as she sat beside Harry. It was like scolding a four year old. Sirius glanced at her before turning to look at the letter instead.

"I was supposed to see you alone, Potter," said Snape, the familiar sneer curling his mouth, "but Black —"

"I'm his godfather," said Sirius, louder than ever.

"I am here on Dumbledore's orders," said Snape, whose voice, by contrast, was becoming more and more quietly waspish, "but by all means stay, Black, I know you like to feel… involved."

"What's that supposed to mean?" said Sirius, letting his chair fall back onto all four legs with a loud bang.

"Merely that I am sure you must feel — ah — frustrated by the fact that you can do nothing useful," Snape laid a delicate stress on the word, "for the Order."

It was Sirius's turn to flush. Snape's lip curled in triumph as he turned to Harry.

"To be quite frank hiding Harry and I from the world is probable the most useful thing a person can provide so I think being able to give such protection outranks you giving your undying devotion to Voldemort." Alicia snapped back and Snape sneered at her.

"Alicia," Harry mumbled

"If they're going to be childish to one another I don't see why I have to put up with it. Them being rude is completely pointless anyway." Alicia replied as she sat back in her seat. She looked at Sirius who was looking proud and insulted at the same time.

"The headmaster has sent me to tell you both, Potter, that it is his wish for you to study Occlumency this term."

Alicia looked shocked.

"I'm sorry, wha—" but she didn't bother to ask. Of course that's what Dumbledore wanted. And she'd been questioning why he didn't do anything to stop these visions.

"Study what?" said Harry blankly.

Snape's sneer became more pronounced.

"Occlumency, Potter. The magical defence of the mind against external penetration. An obscure branch of magic, but a highly useful one."

"In order for you to keep Voldemort out of your head." Alicia explained simply "Stop him reading your mind."

"But I'm not being possessed, why do I have to study Occlu — thing?" he blurted out in response.

"Because the headmaster thinks it a good idea," said Snape smoothly.

"Just cause you're not possessed doesn't mean he can't get into your head Harry. This'll stop any more of those dreams." Alicia believed and Harry looked at her like he'd been betrayed, why was she agreeing to him doing more work?

"You will receive private lessons once a week, but you will not tell anybody what you are doing, least of all Dolores Umbridge. You understand?" Snape continued

"Yes," said Harry. "Who's going to be teaching me?"

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"I am," he said.

Alicia's groaned and banged her head on the table.

"Wait, why am I here?" she suddenly asked. Snape looked at her and looked as though he was battling his usual desire to ignore her with his requirement to answer.

"As you and Potter have such a connection that it's primitive you both understand—"

"So I am a legilimens?" Alicia asked grinning slightly, interrupting him. "Or is it something else?"

Sirius rose an eyebrow.

"And how have you learnt what a legilimens is?" he asked her

"Oh I've been reading a book on it for weeks now." she waved him away before turning back to Snape.

"You and Potter have a connection in which Potter also has with the Dark Lord, for him to block him, he'll need to block you too. Not only that, it is necessary for you to do the same."

"No one's been invading my mind as far as I'm aware." Alicia mumbled but didn't argue.

"Why can't Dumbledore teach Harry?" asked Sirius aggressively. "Why you?"

"I suppose because it is a headmaster's privilege to delegate less enjoyable tasks," said Snape silkily. "I assure you I did not beg for the job." He got to his feet. "I will expect you at six o'clock on Monday evening, Potter. My office. If anybody asks, you are taking Remedial Potions. Nobody who has seen you in my classes could deny you need them."

"That's your own fault for being a crappy person." Alicia grumbled and they all looked at her. Snape almost getting to looking murderous. "What? If he gave constructive criticism I can promise his students would have much better luck." she believed

"Well what's Alicia to say?" Harry seemed to want to take the attention off her comment.

"Extra credit." Alicia responded simply.

No one argued.

Snape turned to leave, his black traveling cloak billowing behind him.

"Wait a moment," said Sirius, sitting up straighter in his chair. Snape turned back to face them, sneering.

"I am in rather a hurry, Black… unlike you, I do not have unlimited leisure time…"

"I'll get to the point, then," said Sirius, standing up. He was rather taller than Snape who, Harry noticed, had balled his fist in the pocket of his cloak over what Harry was sure was the handle of his wand. "If I hear you're using these Occlumency lessons to give Harry a hard time, you'll have me to answer to."

"How touching," Snape sneered. "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?"

"Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly.

"Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape said sleekly.

Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table toward Snape, pulling out his wand as he went; Snape whipped out his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius's wand tip to his face.

"Sirius!" said Harry loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him.

"I've warned you, _Snivellus_ ," said Sirius, his face barely a foot from Snape's, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better —"

"Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" whispered Snape. "Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?"

"Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?"

"Speaking of dogs," said Snape softly, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognised you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform… gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?"

Sirius raised his wand.

"NO!" Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in between them, "Sirius, don't —"

Alicia slumped her head into her hand. If she wasn't restricted with magic it wouldn't have been hard to stop the two of them from being stupid but Harry seemed to think it was better to jump between them.

"Are you calling me a coward?" roared Sirius, trying to push Harry out of the way, but Harry would not budge.

"Why, yes, I suppose I am," said Snape.

"Harry — get — out — of — it!" snarled Sirius, pushing him out of the way with his free hand.

The kitchen door opened and the entire Weasley family, plus Hermione, came inside, all looking very happy, with Mr. Weasley walking proudly in their midst dressed in a pair of striped pyjamas covered by a mackintosh.

"Cured!" he announced brightly to the kitchen at large. "Completely cured!"

Alicia looked up surprised. Why their appearance was almost perfect timing!

He and all the other Weasleys froze on the threshold, gazing at the scene in front of them, which was also suspended in mid-action, both Sirius and Snape looking toward the door with their wands pointing into each other's faces and Harry immobile between them, a hand stretched out to each of them, trying to force them apart. And Alicia, sitting and waiting for the two adults to act like one.

"Merlin's beard," said Mr. Weasley, the smile sliding off his face, "what's going on here?"

Both Sirius and Snape lowered their wands. Harry looked from one to the other. Each wore an expression of utmost contempt, yet the unexpected entrance of so many witnesses seemed to have brought them to their senses. Snape pocketed his wand and swept back across the kitchen, passing the Weasleys without comment. At the door he looked back.

"Six o'clock Monday evening, Potters."

He was gone. Sirius glared after him, his wand at his side.

"But what's been going on?" asked Mr. Weasley again.

"Nothing, Arthur," said Sirius, who was breathing heavily as though he had just run a long distance. "Just a friendly little chat between two old school friends…"

"So you're cured!?" Alicia asked grinning and getting to her feet. Sirius looked at her and then, with what looked like an enormous effort, he smiled.

"So… you're cured? That's great news, really great…"

"Yes, isn't it?" said Mrs. Weasley, leading her husband forward into a chair. "Healer Smethwyck worked his magic in the end, found an antidote to whatever that snake's got in its fangs, and Arthur's learned his lesson about dabbling in Muggle medicine, _haven't you, dear_?" she added, rather menacingly.

"Yes, Molly dear," said Mr. Weasley meekly.

With Mr Weasley back dinner was rather cheerful! Fred and George were cracking jokes, Mundungus and Mad-Eye had dropped in to congratulate Mr Weasley and conversations flourished. But it didn't escape Alicia's eye that Sirius, after every smile and laugh, brought back his moody and brooding expression. She wanted to comfort him over what Snape said, it wasn't his fault he was a fugitive and unable to be free. If the ministry would believe Voldemort was back there would probably be a chance he could be free but until then…

Harry told Hermione and Ron about the Occlumency lessons and they both had different opinions of the idea.

"Dumbledore wants to stop you having those dreams about Voldemort," said Hermione at once. "Well, you won't be sorry not to have them anymore, will you?"

"Extra lessons with Snape?" said Ron, sounding aghast. "I'd rather have the nightmares!"

"And what's a legilimens?" Harry asked Alicia

"It's someone who's skilled at legilimency." she said simply

"What's that?" Ron asked

"It's basically mind reading. Someone delves deep into the memories and thoughts of another and sifts through them. Like watching peoples thoughts and memories in a pensive only, in their head." she explained

"How do you know that?" Harry asked

"I have a book on it upstairs." Alicia confessed and Hermione looked surprised

"But where did you get it? I doubt the library would give books like that out easily."

"It didn't come from the library." Alicia said "I got it from the Room of Requirement."

"What's that got to do with defensive spells?" Ron questioned and Alicia shook her head.

"It wasn't our D.A. room. I went and asked for something different and it basically gave me a library of stuff."

"Why?" Harry wondered

"I was curious." she said simply.

The next morning the Weasley's, Harry, Alicia and Hermione were to return to Hogwarts via the Knight Bus. When Alicia arrived downstairs before the others she found the adults midway through a conversation which they halted the second they saw her.

"Oh haven't we moved past this?" she complained at their almost startled looks. Harry, Hermione and Ron came down the stairs behind her not a few minutes later and Mrs Weasley started making breakfast before having Harry and Hermione wake up Ginny and the twins.

After a hurried breakfast they pulled on jackets and scarves against the chilly grey January morning.

Alicia wanted to go and talk to Sirius before they'd left but before she'd had the chance he himself had sought her and Harry, pulling them to one side.

"I want you to take this," he said quietly, thrusting a badly wrapped package roughly the size of a paperback book into Harry's hands.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"A way of letting me know if Snape's giving you a hard time. No, don't open it in here!" said Sirius, with a wary look at Mrs. Weasley, who was trying to persuade the twins to wear hand-knitted mittens. "I doubt Molly would approve — but I want you to use it if you need me, all right?"

"Okay," said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"It isn't your two-way mirror is it?" Alicia wondered and Sirius grinned at her as an answer. "Perhaps I should give you the other of mine." she chuckled.

"What?" Harry asked

"It's what Sirius gave me for my birthday." Alicia told him.

"Let's go, then," said Sirius, clapping Harry on the shoulder and smiling grimly, and before Harry could say anything else, they were heading upstairs, stopping before the heavily chained and bolted front door, surrounded by Weasleys.

"Good-bye, Harry, take care," said Mrs. Weasley, hugging him. "Be careful Alicia."

"I'm always careful."

"More careful than we are." Fred smirked

"It's you I need to watch out for." Alicia replied smirking and he winked at her.

"See you Harry, and keep an eye out for snakes for me!" said Mr. Weasley genially, shaking his hand.

"Right — yeah," said Harry distractedly.

Alicia turned to Sirius and gave him a hug, squeezing tightly.

"Don't you dare let what Snape said get to you. He's a git who's never been able to beat you or one up you and now thinks he can. He's not better than you and you're right about his allegiance. Don't do anything stupid." she said in his ear "I couldn't bare it if something happened to you. And as soon as we've convinced the Ministry of Voldemort's return you will be able to leave the house again. I'm sure of it." Alicia smiled as she released him. Sirius smiled down at her warmly.

"You do have a way with words." he said

"Be careful. And if Harry doesn't contact you I will. Just don't be stupid okay." he rolled his eyes "No unnecessary risks until we can clear you. And I promise we will."

"I know you will." Sirius placed a hand on her head and smoothed her hair and she smiled before Harry turned to Sirius beside her. Sirius gave him a brief, one-armed hug. He said gruffly, "Look after yourself, Harry," and Harry wasn't given the chance to reply as Tonks began to shunt him and Alicia out into the icy winter air.

The door of number twelve slammed shut behind them. They followed Lupin down the front steps who was escorting them with Tonks. As they reached the pavement number twelve was shrinking rapidly as those on either side of it stretched sideways, squeezing it out of sight; one blink later, it had gone.

"Come on, the quicker we get on the bus the better," said Tonks, she sounded a little nervous as she glanced at the square despite being disguised as an tall tweedy women with grey hair. Lupin flung out his right arm.

BANG.

A violently purple, triple-decker bus had appeared out of thin air in front of them, narrowly avoiding the nearest lamppost, which jumped backward out of its way.

A thin, pimply, jug-eared youth in a purple uniform leapt down onto the pavement and said, "Welcome to the —"

"Yes, yes, we know, thank you," said Tonks swiftly. "On, on, get on —

And she shoved Harry forward toward the steps, past the conductor, who goggled at Harry as he passed.

" 'Ere — it's 'Arry — !"

"If you shout his name I will curse you into oblivion," muttered Tonks menacingly as Alicia quickly followed her brother and Tonks was now shunting Ginny and Hermione forward.

"I've always wanted to go on this thing," said Ron happily, joining Harry and Alicia on board and looking around.

It had been evening the last time the twins had traveled by Knight Bus and its three decks had been full of brass bedsteads. Now, in the early morning, it was crammed with an assortment of mismatched chairs grouped haphazardly around windows. Some of these appeared to have fallen over when the bus stopped abruptly in Grimmauld Place; a few witches and wizards were still getting to their feet, grumbling, and somebody's shopping bag had slid the length of the bus; an unpleasant mixture of frog spawn, cockroaches, and custard creams was scattered all over the floor.

"It's not all you think." Alicia said to Ron.

"Looks like we'll have to split up," said Tonics briskly, looking around for empty chairs. "Fred, George, and Ginny, if you just take those seats at the back… Remus can stay with you…"

Tonks, along with Alicia, Harry, Ron and Hermione proceeded up to the very top deck. Three seats sat at the front and two at the back. Hermione, Alicia and Tonks moved to the front while Harry and Ron took the back ones. Stan gave Tonks and the two girls their tickets and Tonks gave Stan orders to move Hogwarts up on the list of stops, for his own best interest, before Stan was allowed to move off after Harry and Ron.

The bus set off again, swaying ominously. It rumbled around Grimmauld Square, weaving on and off the pavement, then, with another tremendous BANG, they were all flung backward. A crash sounded and Alicia turned to see Ron's chair had toppled right over and Pigwidgeon, who had been on his lap, burst out of his cage and flew twittering wildly up to the front of the bus where he fluttered down upon Hermione's shoulder instead. Alicia chuckled and believed Ron wont like to take the bus again.

They sped down a motorway before it swayed alarmingly, overtaking a line of cars on the inside. Hermione had her hands over her eyes as to not see the traffic violations and Pigwidgeon swayed somewhat happily on her shoulder.

BANG.

Chairs slid backward again as the Knight Bus jumped from the Birmingham motorway to a quiet country lane full of hairpin bends. Hedgerows on either side of the road were leaping out of their way as they mounted the verges. From here they moved to a main street in the middle of a busy town, then to a viaduct surrounded by tall hills, then to a windswept road between high-rise flats, each time with a loud BANG.

A few minutes later the Knight Bus screeched to a halt outside a small pub, which squeezed itself out of the way to avoid a collision. They could hear Stan ushering tan unfortunate women out of the bus and the relieved murmurings of her fellow passengers on the second deck. The bus moved on again, gathering speed, until —

BANG.

They were rolling through a snowy Hogsmeade. Flecks of snow hit the large window at the front of the bus. At last they rolled to a halt outside the gates to Hogwarts.

Lupin and Tonks helped them off the bus with their luggage and then got off to say good-bye. Harry glanced up at the three decks of the Knight Bus and saw all the passengers staring down at them, noses flat against the windows.

"You'll be safe once you're in the grounds," said Tonks, casting a careful eye around at the deserted road. "Have a good term, okay?"

"Look after yourselves," said Lupin, shaking hands all round and reaching Harry last.

Alicia hoisted up her trunk and looked at the snowy drive with a sigh, knowing this was going to be a little difficult. They were likely to fall over ten times with the snow and the weight of their trunks.

Tonks and Lupin bid them one last goodbye before the seven of them struggled up the slippery drive toward the castle dragging their trunks. Hermione was already talking about knitting a few elf hats before bedtime.

Alicia crashed into her fourposter bed, wondering what and how Snape was planning on teaching them Occlumency. He would not be at all gentle about it and whether he even succeeded was another matter. Alicia thought it would've been more helpful if Dumbledore did it himself, but he seemed adamant in ignoring them. And this would definitely break that.

She didn't see how it could be enjoyable, knowing Snape.

 _I wonder why he so willingly does what Dumbledore asks when he really doesn't want to…_ Alicia thought, her eyebrows furrowing as she stared at the roof of her bed. _Could it be Voldemort has told him too or he really is on our side… but even still what is it that makes him agree?_

Alicia believed there had to be something and she drifted off to sleep wondering what it was Severus Snape owed Dumbledore, or what Dumbledore might have over Snape. Perhaps Snape just had an ulterior reason. But what was it?


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

The following day proceeded as it usually did. Snape was as unpleasant as ever to Harry within potions and Umbridge made Alicia want to hit her with some jinx, just by them being in the same building, let alone later in the same classroom. D.A. members continued to approach Alicia and Harry through the day and ask if there was going to be a meeting that night, clearly all of them eager to continue immediately. Alicia had to explain she had extra credit lessons she had to take that evening while Harry repeated the excuse Snape had given him.

"I'll let you know when the next one is," Harry said again, "but I can't do it tonight, I've got to go to — er — Remedial Potions…"

"You take _Remedial Potions_?" asked Zacharias Smith superciliously, having cornered Harry in the entrance hall after lunch. "Good Lord, you must be terrible, Snape doesn't usually give extra lessons, does he?"

As Smith strode away in an annoyingly buoyant fashion, Ron glared after him.

"I wonder why they think you're that stupid when you're teaching them all these spells?" Alicia said annoyed.

"Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here," Ron said, raising his wand and taking aim between Smith's shoulder blades.

"Forget it," said Harry dismally. "It's what everyone's going to think, isn't it? That I'm really stup —"

"Hi, Harry," said a voice behind him. They turned around and found Cho standing there.

"Oh," said Harry as his stomach leapt uncomfortably. "Hi."

"We'll be in the library, Harry," said Hermione firmly, and she seized Ron above the elbow and dragged him off toward the marble staircase as Alicia winked at her brother and followed.

"Hermione! What you do that for?" Ron demanded when they were a few corridors away.

"The last time Cho tried to talk to Harry while you were around, you interrupted them rudely and ruined it." Alicia said annoyed.

"She wants to talk to Harry alone, Ron." Hermione agreed

"She can." Ron believed

"Ha. You have no tact and would bump in no problem." Alicia said

"No tact?" he asked shocked. Hermione and Alicia shared a look of agreement as they entered the library, causing Ron looked between the two of them confused and slightly insulted.

"You know not all boys are this clueless," Alicia confessed

"Not judging by some things." Hermione said and she glanced at Alicia's wrist where Fred's bracelet still sat. Alicia just smiled proudly while Ron looked more lost in the conversation between them than ever.

"Hey Alicia!" the three turned and Anthony approached them from where he'd been sitting at a table with Michael and Terry.

"Hey Tony." she said and he chuckled "If you're going to ask about the D.A. meetings," she dropped her voice a little more than it already was. "we can't have one tonight unfortunately, Harry and I will decide when we have the next."

"Yeah Ginny told me." Anthony admitted, looking at Michael. Ron scowled at the boy.

"Well did you have a nice Christmas then?" Alicia asked changing the topic.

"Yeah, rather quiet considering all the homework we've had until this point." Alicia nodded in agreement as Ron sighed, the reminder clearly irritating him.

"What about you?"

"Yeah we all spent it together which was nice." Alicia admitted indicating to the two beside her. Hermione was smiling slightly sheepishly as Ron continued to glare at Michael.

"That's nice, get it for Christmas?" Anthony asked, noticing her bracelet when she moved her hand.

"Yeah, Fred Weasley gave it to me." Alicia admitted and Ron looked surprised as Hermione gave her a look.

Anthony looked taken aback.

"Really?"

"Yeah." she said simply.

"Oh — well I've got some stuff to do, I'll see you around." Alicia watched as he turned away from her and moved back to Terry and Michael before she lead the way further through the books.

"Fred got you a bracelet?" Ron asked

"Yes." Alicia replied

"Why'd you tell Anthony?" Hermione wondered "Didn't you think he'd be a little…"

"Well it is true, and it wouldn't have done anything to lie."

"You could have not lied and not told him?" Hermione offered

"And that would have gotten us where?" Alicia wondered. They came to a stop to be in view of the door for when Harry caught up to them.

He was very bouncy and rather giddy when he did, in which Ron had to ask what was up, grinning while he did.

"Yes what did Cho say?" Alicia wondered

"We're going to Hogsmeade together on the next trip." Harry responded, trying to sound casual.

"Oh, you mean the one on Valentines Day?" Hermione asked. Alicia chuckled

"I didn't know it was Valentines Day." she said and Harry blushed slightly but said nothing in response.

Six o'clock approached faster than Alicia expected it to and soon she and Harry were standing outside Snape's office door, Harry looked very unhappy about it.

"Maybe we can get some answers while we're here." Alicia offered quietly, though her voice seemed to echo regardless. Harry looked at her but didn't answer before he took a deep breath, knocked and the two entered.

Neither had ever been in Snape's office before. It was a shadowy room lined with shelves bearing hundreds of glass jars in which floated slimy bits of animals and plants, suspended in variously coloured potions. In a corner stood the cupboard full of ingredients that Snape had once accused Harry — not without reason — of robbing. Harry's attention was drawn toward the desk, however, where a shallow stone basin engraved with runes and symbols lay in a pool of candlelight. It was easily recognised as Dumbledore's Pensieve and Alicia could not fathom why Snape had it.

She didn't get to think about it long before Snape's voice sounded from the corner and caused Harry to jump.

"Shut the door behind you, Potter."

Harry did as he was told before turning back to face the room as Snape moved into the light and pointed silently at the chairs opposite his desk. Harry sat down in one, Alicia in another and so did Snape behind his desk. His cold black eyes fixed unblinkingly upon Harry, dislike etched in every line of his face.

"Well, Potter, you know why you are here," he said. "The headmaster has asked me to teach you Occlumency. I can only hope that you prove more adept at it than Potions."

"Right," said Harry tersely.

"This may not be an ordinary class, Potter," said Snape, his eyes narrowed malevolently, "but I am still your teacher and you will therefore call me 'sir' or 'Professor' at all times."

"Yes… _sir_ ," said Harry.

"Now, Occlumency. As I told you back in your dear godfather's kitchen, this branch of magic seals the mind against magical intrusion and influence."

"And why does Professor Dumbledore think I need it, sir?" said Harry, looking directly into Snape's dark, cold eyes and wondering whether he would answer.

Alicia rose an eyebrow. Was that not an obvious question?

Snape looked back at him for a moment and then said contemptuously, "Surely even you could have worked that out by now, Potter? The Dark Lord is highly skilled at Legilimency —"

"What's that? _Sir_?"

"As your sister pointed out in your godfather's kitchen it is the ability to extract feelings and memories from another person's mind —" Alicia felt Harry's fear rise.

"He can read minds?" said Harry quickly.

"You have no subtlety, Potter," said Snape, his dark eyes glittering. "You do not understand fine distinctions. It is one of the shortcomings that makes you such a lamentable potion-maker."

Alicia looked at Harry who nodded subtly. It was pretty much mind reading, only a little more complicated.

Snape paused for a moment, apparently to savour the pleasure of insulting Harry, before continuing, "Only Muggles talk of 'mind reading.' The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter… or at least, most minds are…" He smirked. "It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection."

So if Snape was on Dumbledore's side, infiltrating Voldemort's inner circle, Voldemort wouldn't know because Snape knew Occlumency.

"So he could know what we're thinking right now? Sir?"

"The Dark Lord is at a considerable distance and the walls and grounds of Hogwarts are guarded by many ancient spells and charms to ensure the bodily and mental safety of those who dwell within them," said Snape. "Time and space matter in magic, Potter. Eye contact is often essential to Legilimency."

"Well then, why do I have to learn Occlumency?"

Snape eyed Harry, tracing his mouth with one long, thin finger as he did so.

"The usual rules do not seem to apply with you, Potter. Nor your sister for that matter. The curse that failed to kill you both seems to have forged some kind of connection between you and the Dark Lord, and you and Alicia." it was weird to hear Snape say her name when he only ever used the students' last names.

"So Professor Dumbledore did not tell the complete truth when he explained it to us then, sir?" Alicia wondered, Snape glanced at her but did not answer. Alicia wouldn't have been surprised if he did not even know an answer to give.

"The evidence suggests," Snape continued "that at times, when your mind is most relaxed and vulnerable — when you are asleep, for instance — you are sharing the Dark Lord's thoughts and emotions. The headmaster thinks it inadvisable for this to continue. He wishes me to teach you how to close your mind to the Dark Lord."

"But why does Professor Dumbledore want to stop it?" he asked abruptly. "I don't like it much, but it's been useful, hasn't it? I mean… I saw that snake attack Mr. Weasley and if I hadn't, Professor Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to save him, would he? Sir?"

Snape stared at Harry for a few moments, still tracing his mouth with his finger. When he spoke again, it was slowly and deliberately, as though he weighed every word.

"It appears that the Dark Lord has been unaware of the connection between you and himself until very recently. Up till now it seems that you have been experiencing his emotions and sharing his thoughts without him being any the wiser. However, the vision you had shortly before Christmas —"

"The one with the snake and Mr. Weasley?"

"Do not interrupt me, Potter," said Snape in a dangerous voice. "As I was saying… the vision you had shortly before Christmas represented such a powerful incursion upon the Dark Lord's thoughts —"

"I saw inside the snake's head, not his!"

"I thought I just told you not to interrupt me, Potter?"

Harry didn't seem to care, he had been sliding forwards as if to be closer to Snape to get the answers he wanted better that way.

"How come I saw through the snake's eyes if it's Voldemort's thoughts I'm sharing?"

" _Do not say the Dark Lord's name_!" spat Snape.

There was a nasty silence. They glared at each other across the Pensieve and Alicia looked between them both waiting for one to speak.

"Professor Dumbledore says his name," said Harry quietly.

"Dumbledore is an extremely powerful wizard," Snape muttered. "While he may feel secure enough to use the name… the rest of us…" He rubbed his left forearm, apparently unconsciously, on the spot where both twins knew the Dark Mark was burned into his skin.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." Alicia said simply. They both looked at her, but said nothing until Harry again broke the silence.

"I just wanted to know," Harry began again, forcing his voice back to politeness, "why —"

"You seem to have visited the snake's mind because that was where the Dark Lord was at that particular moment," snarled Snape. "He was possessing the snake at the time and so you dreamed you were inside it too…"

"And Vol — he — realised I was there?"

"It seems so," said Snape coolly.

"And me too?" Alicia wondered cautiously

"Most probably."

"So, if Harry can reach into the snake while _he's_ possessing it, does that mean he could get into me through Harry? I mean, as far as I'm aware I don't have a connection with — him, sir." Alicia said carefully. She had to remind herself not to name Voldemort as to not piss Snape of any more.

"More than likely." Snape replied

"How do you know?" said Harry urgently. "Is this just Professor Dumbledore guessing, or — ?"

"I told you," said Snape, rigid in his chair, his eyes slits, "to call me 'sir.' "

"Yes, sir," said Harry impatiently, "but how do you know — ?"

"It is enough that we know," said Snape repressively. "The important point is that the Dark Lord is now aware that you are gaining access to his thoughts and feelings. He has also deduced that the process is likely to work in reverse; that is to say, he has realised that he might be able to access your thoughts and feelings in return —"

Alicia wondered if Snape knew this because Voldemort himself had told him? It would explain the information and Snape's reluctancy to answer that question.

"And he might try and make me do things?" asked Harry. " _Sir_?" he added hurriedly.

"He might," said Snape, sounding cold and unconcerned. "Which brings us back to Occlumency."

Snape pulled out his wand from an inside pocket of his robes and Harry tensed in his chair while Alicia watched curiously. Snape raised the wand to his temple and placed its tip into the greasy roots of his hair. When he withdrew it, some silvery substance came away, stretching from temple to wand like a thick gossamer strand, which broke as he pulled the wand away from it and fell gracefully into the Pensieve, where it swirled silvery white, neither gas nor liquid. Twice more Snape raised the wand to his temple and deposited the silvery substance into the stone basin, then, without offering any explanation of his behaviour, he picked up the Pensieve carefully, removed it to a shelf out of their way and returned to face Harry with his wand held at the ready.

Alicia watched him as he'd removed his thoughts before their lesson and wondered, perhaps he was worried the two would get into his head. Had he something he didn't want the two to see? Most likely, but to be so cautious as to remove them…

"Stand up and take out your wand, Potter."

Both of them obeyed and Alicia wondered how exactly Snape was going to teach them. She figured invading the mind was rather an invasion of privacy but how else could you learn to push someone out?

"You may use your wand to attempt to disarm me, or defend yourself in any other way you can think of," said Snape.

"And what are you going to do?" Harry asked, eyeing Snape's wand apprehensively.

"I am about to attempt to break into your mind," said Snape softly. "We are going to see how well you resist. I have been told that you have already shown aptitude at resisting the Imperius Curse…You will find that similar powers are needed for this…" so he was going to invade the mind. Only he couldn't do that twice.

"Brace yourself, now… _Legilimens_!" Harry seemed to lose some focus as Snape stared at him and she felt Harry's overwhelm of emotions. He seemed to retreat so far into himself in that quick instance and he did nothing to throw at Snape. Alicia thought this would be fun, they could hex Snape without getting in trouble.

Alicia watched as Snape had his wand pointed at Harry. She knew how to see through Harry and feel his emotions. But only a short number of times had she seen his memories or heard his thoughts. She felt maybe if she could figure out how to do that, it would be a nicer way for Harry to learn.

 _Then again, having you in his head might not be nearly as motivating to push out as Snape._ Alicia was sure there were things Harry wouldn't want Snape to know in which Alicia already knew or he didn't care if she did.

 _Still, you both could learn away from Snape if you could manage it._ And if Voldemort and Harry could work in both directions then couldn't Harry and Alicia? Would it be useful for them to learn Occlumency and Legilimency? For if you knew how to do one perhaps you'd understand better how to block out and achieve the other?

Harry suddenly fell to the floor and one of his knees collided with Snape's desk leg. As he did a spell went flying at Snape from Harry's wand and hit the professor in the wand wrist. Alicia looked at the two surprised before she moved to Harry who was looking around and seemed as though he was coming around from having fainted.

Snape lowered his wand and rubbed his wrist where the angry weal of a scorch mark from Harry's wand had grazed him.

"Did you mean to produce a Stinging Hex?" asked Snape coolly.

"No," said Harry bitterly, getting up from the floor with Alicia's help.

"I thought not," said Snape contemptuously. "You let me get in too far. You lost control."

"Did you see everything I saw?" Harry asked, unsure whether he wanted to hear the answer.

"Flashes of it," said Snape, his lip curling. "To whom did the dog belong?"

"My Aunt Marge," Harry muttered, hating Snape.

"She's not really your aunt though." Alicia mumbled. She'd met Aunt Marge two years previously, several days before Harry had blown her up like a balloon for loosing control of his temper. Hardly his fault though considering the words Marge had said to him.

"Well, for a first attempt that was not as poor as it might have been," said Snape, raising his wand once more. "You managed to stop me eventually, though you wasted time and energy shouting. You must remain focused. Repel me with your brain and you will not need to resort to your wand."

"I'm trying," said Harry angrily, "but you're not telling me how!"

"Manners, Potter," said Snape dangerously.

"A little instruction would be really appreciated professor." Alicia added, trying to stay calm and keep her voice level. How did he expect them to learn if they had no idea where to even start.

"I want you to close your eyes." Snape began, perhaps listening to her advice.

Harry shot Snape a filthy look but did as he was told.

"Clear your mind, Potter," said Snape's cold voice. "Let go of all emotion…"

Alicia rose an eyebrow. She could feel Harry's anger and she knew that being with Snape, having Snape insult him and enter his mind was not going to help him concentrate and relax.

"You're not doing it, Potter…You will need more discipline than this… Focus, now…"

"Let's go again… on the count of three… one — two — three — _Legilimens_!"

The same thing happened again and Alicia felt the pain, emotional distress, run through her and clapped her hands over her ears to try and push against the memory that Harry saw. She shook her head to rid of it, she didn't want to see that. She didn't want to remember. She had done well to move past it!

"NOOOOOOO!" Harry had shouted out.

"Get up!" said Snape sharply. "Get up! You are not trying, you are making no effort, you are allowing me access to memories you fear, handing me weapons!"

Alicia breathed in slowly, released the breath after holding it a few seconds to regain herself. When she felt her heart slow she removed her hands and opened her eyes to find Harry was looking at her from where he was on the floor. Snape was watching her as well.

Snape was looking angry, his face had gone paler than usual, but Harry seemed more angry still.

"I — am — making — an — effort," he said through clenched teeth.

"I told you to empty yourself of emotion!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm finding that hard at the moment," Harry snarled.

"Then you will find yourself easy prey for the Dark Lord!" said Snape savagely. "Fools who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves, who cannot control their emotions, who wallow in sad memories and allow themselves to be provoked this easily — weak people, in other words — they stand no chance against his powers! He will penetrate your mind with absurd ease, Potter!"

"I am not weak," said Harry in a low voice, fury now pumping through him so that he thought he might attack Snape in a moment.

"Then prove it! Master yourself!" spat Snape. "Control your anger, discipline your mind! We shall try again! Get ready, now!"

"Professor!" Alicia cut in before he could cast the spell. "Aren't you supposed to teach me too?" Harry looked at her surprised and Snape stared at her, his anger still evident in his face. "I'd like to give it a try." she looked at Harry, not only did he need a break but Alicia, during that fleeting memory, realised there were somethings she didn't want from Harry. Such pain as that, one that connected to her own and caused her to feel double, was one of them.

"Very well." Snape agreed and he turned his wand on Alicia. The girl look a breath. She needed to feel nothing, so concentrating on a memory would not do, as they were connected to emotions. So she needed something neutral.

"One… Two… three… _Legilimens_!"

Alicia could feel the professor in her mind as images took the room away from her sight and her memories were seen instead. It was like she was reliving them. First meeting Harry… sitting under the tree at five years old in the orphanage… Matthew tormenting her… first time flying a broom.

Alicia grabbed that memory before it could flash by and remembered the feeling of the air through her hair, the freedom of sitting on a broom. The room began to come back into focus, Harry was watching her and Snape's eyes narrowed.

He pushed harder and the room was gone. She was playing her first game of quidditch… she was in charms class… Harry walked into the maze… Portia and Alex discovered her Hogwarts items… she was in the Room of Requirement.

Alicia saw the wand movement and willed herself to follow it and do the same. The memories halted, she felt her head ease up as it had began pounding and she found herself clinging to the back of her chair to keep herself standing. Her wand was pointed at Snape as Harry was helping her to stay standing, his arm around her back. Snape seemed frozen and the two looked at him as Alicia gathered her bearings.

"Impediment Jinx." Harry mumbled and Alicia nodded. She stood up and took a breath before waving her wand to unfreeze the professor.

"Sorry sir." she mumbled

"At least you managed to keep your emotions in check." he sneered, not bothering to compliment how she'd almost pushed him out.

"I figured concentrating on something simple, a feeling instead of an emotion, might help." she thought.

It was strange, the memories flashed across her mind and some of them she wanted to watch, she liked reliving them, and so she let them play, forgetting that she shouldn't. Others reminded her and made her want them to stop, made her try harder.

Perhaps there was no little trick like that, perhaps she had to remain calm and also just push the person out. For that she had to learn to feel when someone was in her head properly. It was possible if Voldemort had realised Harry was there that night when they saw Mr Weasley.

"Well let's see if you can do better than your sister, Potter. Now that you've had the chance to control your anger and prepare yourself." Snape sneered as he turned back to Harry. " _Legilimens_!"

This time Harry ended up on all fours on the floor of Snape's office before he shouted out.

"I KNOW! I KNOW!"

But it wasn't painful or angry, it was triumphant. Snape was staring at Harry who had lifted the spell himself instead of letting Harry push through it.

"What happened then, Potter?" he asked, eyeing Harry intently.

"I saw — I remembered," Harry panted. "I've just realised…"

"Realised what?" asked Snape sharply as Alicia looked at her brother confused.

She could feel his understanding though, as though he had noticed something amongst the memories as he rubbed his forehead. Alicia had felt the prickle in her neck, something to do with Voldemort in those memories had brought a sort of enlightenment to Harry.

Harry finally looked at Snape.

"What's in the Department of Mysteries?"

"What did you say?" Snape asked quietly and Harry saw, with deep satisfaction, that Snape was unnerved.

"I said, what's in the Department of Mysteries, sir?" Harry said.

"And why," said Snape slowly, "would you ask such a thing?"

"Because," said Harry, watching Snape closely for a reaction, "that corridor I've just seen — I've been dreaming about it for months — I've just recognised it — it leads to the Department of Mysteries… and I think Voldemort wants something from —"

" _I have told you not to say the Dark Lord's name_!"

"Harry, I've been saying that for months." Alicia reminded him. "How could you have not noticed that door?" she wondered.

Harry wasn't listening. He and Snape were too busy glaring at one another, Snape looking agitated.

"There are many things in the Department of Mysteries, Potter, few of which you would understand and none of which concern you, do I make myself plain?"

"Yes," Harry said, still rubbing his prickling scar, which was becoming more painful. Alicia was trying to restrain the need to itch her own as she watched them both.

"I want you both back here same time on Wednesday, and we will continue work then."

"Fine," said Harry.

"You are to rid your mind of all emotion every night before sleep — empty it, make it blank and calm, you understand?"

"Yes," said Harry, he seemed to be barely listening.

"And be warned, Potter… I shall know if you have not practiced…"

Alicia felt like they should thank the professor as Harry responded but he picked up his school bag and grabbed Alicia's hand after swinging it onto his shoulder. Alicia managed to grab hers before Harry hurried from the office with her.

"We need to find Ron and Hermione?"

"Why?"

"To tell them."

"But they already know?" Alicia believed

"They assume. This confirms it."

"I think I'm smart enough to not voice an opinion like that unless it's true." Alicia mumbled.

Harry didn't listen and continued on his journey until they found Hermione and Ron in the library, along with many other fifth years who were working under the lamp light at the tables nearby, noses in books, quills scratching feverishly while the sky outside grew darker and darker.

The two sat down as Alicia glanced at Harry. He was very pale and didn't look healthy. Hermione noticed.

"How did it go?" Hermione whispered, and then, looking concerned, "Are you all right, Harry?"

"Yeah… fine… I dunno," said Harry impatiently, he winced as Alicia felt a pain in her neck. "Listen… I've just realised something…" And he told them what he thought.

"So Alicia is right." Ron whispered as Madam Pince swept past, squeaking slightly, "that the weapon — the thing You-Know-Who's after — is in the Ministry of Magic?"

"In the Department of Mysteries, it's got to be," Harry whispered. "I saw that door when your dad took me down to the courtrooms for my hearing and it's definitely the same one he was guarding when the snake bit him."

"You're rather slow Harry, Alicia worked that out before the holidays began." Hermione said.

"That was speculation." Ron said  
"Yes but it makes sense. Ron, think about it… Sturgis Podmore was trying to get through a door at the Ministry of Magic… It must have been that one, it's too much of a coincidence!"

"How come Sturgis was trying to break in when he's on our side?" said Ron.

"Well, I don't know," Hermione admitted. "That is a bit odd…"

"So what's in the Department of Mysteries?" Harry asked Ron. "Has your dad ever mentioned anything about it?"

"I know they call the people who work in there 'Unspeakables,'" said Ron, frowning. "Because no one really seems to know what they do in there… Weird place to have a weapon…"

"It's not weird at all, it makes perfect sense," said Hermione. "It will be something top secret that the Ministry has been developing, I expect…"

"Or something they've already got… it all depends on what you count as a weapon really." Alicia thought. Hermione nodded before looking back at Harry.

"Harry, are you sure you're all right?" For Harry had just run both his hands hard over his forehead as though trying to iron it.

"Yeah… fine…" he said, lowering his hands, which were trembling. "I just feel a bit… I don't like Occlumency much…"

"It's Legilimency you don't like, that's what Snape's using. And I don't blame you, it's like having all your nightmares and bad experiences thrown back at you like you're reliving it." Alicia shook her head.

"I expect anyone would feel shaky if they'd had their mind attacked over and over again," said Hermione sympathetically. "Look, let's get back to the common room, we'll be a bit more comfortable there…"

But the common room was packed and full of shrieks of laughter and excitement; Fred and George were demonstrating their latest bit of joke shop merchandise.

"Headless Hats!" shouted George, as Fred waved a pointed hat decorated with a fluffy pink feather at the watching students. "Two Galleons each — watch Fred, now!"

Fred swept the hat onto his head, beaming. For a second he merely looked rather stupid, then both hat and head vanished.

Several girls screamed, but everyone else was roaring with laughter.

"And off again!" shouted George, and Fred's hand groped for a moment in what seemed to be thin air over his shoulder; then his head reappeared as he swept the pink-feathered hat from it again.

"Did they have to make it pink and feathery? Wouldn't it be more effective if it was a little more normal?" Alicia wondered as she watched them with interest, forgetting the homework that sat in front of her.

"How do those hats work, then?" said Hermione, distracted from her homework and watching Fred and George. "I mean, obviously it's some kind of Invisibility Spell, but it's rather clever to have extended the field of invisibility beyond the boundaries of the charmed object… I'd imagine the charm wouldn't have a very long life though…"

"Makes two gallons sound a bit far fetched doesn't it." Alicia thought thinking it over. "You know Seventh year must be very easy if they're able to spend all their time inventing." she suddenly thought. "Of course they don't care about their exams or anything so…" she added.

"I'm going to have to do this tomorrow," Harry muttered, pushing the books he had just taken out of his bag back inside it.

"Well, write it in your homework planner then!" said Hermione encouragingly. "So you don't forget!"

Alicia rose an eyebrow while Harry and Ron exchanged looks as he reached into his bag, withdrew the planner and opened it tentatively.

" _Don't leave it till later, you big second-rater_!" chided the book as Harry scribbled down Umbridge's homework. Hermione beamed at it while Alicia pulled a face. She'd hate it if a book gave her advice every time she opened it. It would get very annoying after a while.

"I think I'll go to bed," said Harry, stuffing the homework planner back into his bag.

The three watched as he crossed the room, dodging a hat George tried to put on his head and disappeared up the stairs.

"He really doesn't look good."

"He's not feeling good either." Alicia admitted.

She suddenly let out a cry that had several people turn from Fred and George to look at her as she clapped her hand over her neck as she felt like her head had been half cut off, leaving her with a severe pain that even the Cruciatus Curse may not compare to.

Hermione and Ron looked at her shocked as Fred and George moved over to her quickly, Fred looking at Ron questionably.

"Ron, Harry!" Hermione suddenly realised and he moved up the staircases to check on the boy.

Alicia had her lip between her teeth and Fred rubbed her arm before the pain died down until her scar only throbbed. Despite the pain she'd felt the far away feeling of absolutely, delighted happiness. As if the best thing in the world had happened.

Alicia knew it wasn't her's and she could feel too much distance for it to be Harry's, which only left one other person. She took a breath as she was able to be brought back to her senses and upon looking around, she found many people were looking at her.

She didn't even bother to try and explain what had happened as the twins and Hermione looked worried. She shook her head and glanced at the staircase to the boys dormitories.

George suddenly placed the Headless Hat on her head and people started bursting out laughing. She sighed and rolled her eyes but was glad they distracted everyone from her and her weird behaviour. She gave it a few minutes before removing the hat and placing it on George's head as he was looking at everyone around them. More people laughed at him.

Hermione looked at her worried, exchanging a glance with Fred.

"Something's happened, and it's not good."

"What is it?" Hermione asked

"I don't know but what I just felt was pure happiness, and if Voldemort's that happy, then it can't be good for the rest of us." she whispered. Fred and Hermione looked worried as George glanced at them from beside her, having removed the hat.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44:

Hermione's daily prophet arrived as usual the next morning, except what ever was on the front page caused her to give a yelp in which everyone in the vicinity heard and turned to stare at her.

"What?" said Harry and Ron together as Alicia looked at her, surprised at the sound she'd made like many others.

For an answer she spread the newspaper on the table in front of them and pointed at ten black-and-white photographs that filled the whole of the front page, nine showing wizards' faces and the tenth, a witch's. Some of the people in the photographs were silently jeering; others were tapping their fingers on the frame of their pictures, looking insolent. Each picture was captioned with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban.

 _Antonin Dolohov,_ read the legend beneath a wizard with a long, pale, twisted face who was sneering up at them, _convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett._

 _Augustus Rookwood,_ said the caption beneath a pockmarked man with greasy hair who was leaning against the edge of his picture, looking bored, _convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic Secrets to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._

Alicia looked at the nine wizards before turning to the witch. She was easily recognisable as Alicia had seen her on a couple occasions already, one in a picture, another in a pensieve.

She had long, dark hair that looked unkempt and straggly in the picture and she glared through heavily lidded eyes, an arrogant, disdainful smile playing around her thin mouth. Like Sirius, she retained vestiges of great good looks, but something — perhaps Azkaban — had taken most of her beauty.

 _Bellatrix Lestrange_ , _convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom._

Along the very top, for the headline of the paper in bold letters read:

 _MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN_

 _MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS "RALLYING POINT" FOR OLD DEATH EATERS_

"Black?" said Harry loudly. "Not — ?"

"Shhh!" whispered Hermione desperately. "Not so loud — just read it!"

 _The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban._

 _Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals._

 _"We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."_

Alicia felt terribly angry. There were so many signs that Voldemort was back but they were resulting in blaming Sirius, when there had been no accounts or stories of him doing anything wrong since he'd escaped.

"There you are, Harry," said Ron, looking awestruck. "That's why he was happy last night…"

"I don't believe this," snarled Harry, "Fudge is blaming the breakout on _Sirius_?"

"Of course he is." Alicia grumbled

"What other options does he have?" said Hermione bitterly. "He can hardly say, 'Sorry everyone, Dumbledore warned me this might happen, the Azkaban guards have joined Lord Voldemort' — stop _whimpering_ , Ron — 'and now Voldemort's worst supporters have broken out too.' I mean, he's spent a good six months telling everyone you and Dumbledore are liars, hasn't he?"

Hermione ripped open the newspaper and began to read the report inside while Harry looked around the Great Hall.

"We knew this was going to happen." Alicia mumbled as she put her head into her hands. "Voldemort said in the graveyard that his followers who were loyal and locked up would be freed." she banged the table and many people looked at her. "Fudge is an idiot. He's going to let the world fall to ruins!"

"Oh my —" said Hermione wonderingly, still staring at the newspaper.

"What now?" said Harry quickly, he seemed rather jumpy all of a sudden.

"It's… _horrible_ ," said Hermione, looking shaken. She folded back page ten of the newspaper and handed it back to Harry and Ron.

 _TRAGIC DEMISE OF_

 _MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER_

 _St. Mungo's Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted-plant. Healers called to the scene were unable to revive Mr. Bode, who had been injured in a workplace accident some weeks prior to his death. Healer Miriam Strout, who was in charge of Mr. Bode's ward at the time of the incident, has been suspended on full pay and was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a spokeswizard for the hospital said in a statement, "St. Mungo's deeply regrets the death of Mr. Bode, whose health was improving steadily prior to this tragic accident._

 _"We have strict guidelines on the decorations permitted on our wards but it appears that Healer Strout, busy over the Christmas period, overlooked the dangers of the plant on Mr. Bode's bedside table. As his speech and mobility improved, Healer Strout encouraged Mr. Bode to look after the plant himself, unaware that it was not an innocent Flitterbloom, but a cutting of Devil's Snare, which, when touched by the convalescent Mr. Bode, throttled him instantly._

 _"St. Mungo's is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward."_

"Bode…" said Ron. " _Bode._ It rings a bell…"

"We saw him," Hermione whispered. "In St. Mungo's, remember? He was in the bed opposite Lockhart's, just lying there, staring at the ceiling."

"Wasn't he mumbling in a different language?" Alicia said and Hermione nodded.

"And we saw the Devil's Snare arrive. She — the Healer — said it was a Christmas present…" Alicia hit herself in the forehead.

"How come we didn't recognise Devil's Snare…? We've seen it before… we could've stopped this from happening…" Harry believed

"Who expects Devil's Snare to turn up in a hospital disguised as a potted plant?" said Ron sharply. "It's not our fault, whoever sent it to the bloke is to blame! They must be a real prat, why didn't they check what they were buying?"

"Yeah right, like this was an accident." Alicia scoffed

"Oh come on, Ron!" said Hermione shakily, "I don't think anyone could put Devil's Snare in a pot and not realise it tries to kill whoever touches it? This — this was murder… A clever murder, as well… If the plant was sent anonymously, how's anyone ever going to find out who did it?"

"You know, I bet you'll find that the workplace accident wasn't an accident either…" Alicia thought "Maybe the person sent the Devil's snare to finish the job." they looked at her and she shrugged.

"That's literally a guess though." she made a point of.

"I met Bode," Harry suddenly said slowly. "I saw him at the Ministry with your dad…"

Ron's mouth fell open.

"I've heard Dad talk about him at home! He was an Unspeakable — he worked in the Department of Mysteries!"

They looked at one another for a moment, then Hermione pulled the newspaper back toward her, closed it, glared for a moment at the pictures of the ten escaped Death Eaters on the front, then leapt to her feet.

"Where are you going?" said Ron, startled.

"To send a letter," said Hermione, swinging her bag onto her shoulder. "It… well, I don't know whether… but it's worth trying… and I'm the only one who can…"

"I _hate_ it when she does that," grumbled Ron as he, Alicia and Harry got up from the table and made their own, slower way out of the Great Hall. "Would it kill her to tell us what she's up to for once? It'd take her about ten more seconds, Alicia what's she on about?" he demanded of her.

"I, have no clue." Alicia said and the boys looked at her surprised.

"But that never happens — hey, Hagrid!" Ron said, his voice moving from shock to cheerfulness as they saw the giant man.

Hagrid was standing beside the doors into the entrance hall, waiting for a crowd of Ravenclaws to pass. He was still as heavily bruised as he had been on the day he had come back from his mission to the giants and there was a new cut right across the bridge of his nose.

"All righ', you two?" he said, trying to muster a smile but managing only a kind of pained grimace.

"Are you okay, Hagrid?" asked Harry, following him as he lumbered after the Ravenclaws.

"Fine, fine," said Hagrid with a feeble assumption of airiness; he waved a hand and narrowly missed concussing a frightened-looking Professor Vector, who was passing. "Jus' busy, yeh know, usual stuff — lessons ter prepare — couple o' salamanders got scale rot — an' I'm on probation," he mumbled.

" _You're on probation_?" said Ron very loudly, so that many students passing looked around curiously.

"Ron!" Alicia hit him.

"Sorry — I mean — you're on probation?" he whispered.

"Yeah," said Hagrid. "'S'no more'n I expected, ter tell yeh the truth. Yeh migh' not've picked up on it, bu' that inspection didn' go too well, yeh know… anyway," he sighed deeply. "Bes' go an rub a bit more chili powder on them salamanders or their tails'll be hangin' off 'em next. See yeh, Alicia… Harry… Ron…"

He trudged away, out the front doors and down the stone steps into the damp grounds.

"Could today get any worse?" Alicia groaned.

The fact that Hagrid was now on probation became common knowledge within the school over the next few days, but hardly anybody appeared to be upset about it; indeed, some people, Draco Malfoy prominent among them, seemed positively gleeful. As for the freakish death of an obscure Department of Mysteries employee in St. Mungo's, Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione seemed to be the only people who knew or cared. There was only one topic of conversation in the corridors now: the ten escaped Death Eaters, whose story had finally filtered through the school from those few people who read the newspapers. Rumours were flying that some of the convicts had been spotted in Hogsmeade, that they were supposed to be hiding out in the Shrieking Shack and that they were going to break into Hogwarts, just as Sirius Black had done.

Those who came from Wizarding families had grown up hearing the names of these Death Eaters spoken with almost as much fear as Voldemort's; the crimes they had committed during the days of Voldemort's reign of terror were legendary. There were relatives of their victims among the Hogwarts students, who now found themselves the unwilling objects of a gruesome sort of reflected fame as they walked the corridors: Susan Bones, who had an uncle, aunt, and cousins who had all died at the hands of one of the ten, said miserably during Herbology that she now had a good idea what it felt like to be Harry or Alicia.

"And I don't know how you stand it, it's horrible," she said bluntly, dumping far too much dragon manure on her tray of Screechsnap seedlings, causing them to wriggle and squeak in discomfort.

"You sort of get used to it." Alicia murmured.

It was true that Harry and Alicia were the subject of much renewed muttering and pointing in the corridors these days, yet there seemed to be a difference in the tone of the whisperers' voices. They sounded curious rather than hostile now, and once or twice snatches of conversation were heard that suggested that the speakers were not satisfied with the _Prophet's_ version of how and why ten Death Eaters had managed to break out of Azkaban fortress. In their confusion and fear, these doubters now seemed to be turning to the only other explanation available to them, the one that Harry, Alicia and Dumbledore had been expounding since the previous year.

It was not only the students' mood that had changed. It was now quite common to come across two or three teachers conversing in low, urgent whispers in the corridors, breaking off their conversations the moment they saw students approaching.

"They obviously can't talk freely in the staffroom anymore," said Hermione in a low voice, as she, Alicia, Harry, and Ron passed Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout huddled together outside the Charms classroom one day. "Not with Umbridge there."

"Reckon they know anything new?" said Ron, gazing back over his shoulder at the three teachers.

"If they do, we're not going to hear about it, are we?" said Harry angrily. "Not after Decree… What number are we on now?"

For new signs had appeared on the house notice boards the morning after news of the Azkaban breakout:

 _— BY ORDER OF —_

 _The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts_

 _Teachers are hereby banned from giving students any information that is not strictly related to the subjects they are paid to teach._

 _The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-six._

 _Signed:_

 _Dolores Jane Umbridge_

 _high inquisitor_

This latest decree had been the subject of a great number of jokes among the students. Lee Jordan had pointed out to Umbridge that by the terms of the new rule she was not allowed to tell Fred and George off for playing Exploding Snap in the back of the class.

"Exploding Snap's got nothing to do with Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor! That's not information relating to your subject!"

When they next saw Lee, the back of his hand was bleeding rather badly. Harry recommended essence of murtlap.

"Yes well they wouldn't have told us what they're talking about even if they weren't stopped by that decree." Alicia said.

It seemed the breakout of Azkaban had done nothing to abash Umbridge after the catastrophe considering it happened right under her beloved Fudge's nose. Instead it seemed her desire to control everything and anything at Hogwarts had intensified. If anything she was more determined to sack at least one teacher, the only question was, whether it'd be Trelawney or Hagrid first.

Umbridge was in every Care of Magical Creatures class and according to Ron and Harry she was also in every Divination class. It seemed Trelawney wasn't it taking it very well.

Hagrid wasn't either. Though he seemed to be following Hermione and Alicia's advice and had shown them nothing more frightening than a crup, a creature indistinguishable from a Jack Russell terrier except for its forked tail, since before Christmas, he also seemed to have lost his nerve. He was oddly distracted and jumpy in lessons, losing the thread of what he was saying while talking to the class, answering questions wrongly and glancing anxiously at Umbridge all the time. He was also more distant with Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione than he had ever been before, expressly forbidding them to visit him after dark.

"If she catches yeh, it'll be all of our necks on the line," he told them flatly, and with no desire to do anything that jeopardised his job further, they abstained from walking down to his hut in the evenings.

It seemed with nothing else to distract him, Harry decided to throw himself into the D.A. meetings. He had Alicia helping him plan, practice and decide on the lessons, dates and spells they were going to do. Of course she didn't mind and with the escape of ten more Death Eaters, those within the meetings were working much harder as well, including Zacharias Smith. However, nobody saw this improvement more pronounced than in Neville. The news of his parents' attacker's escape had wrought a strange and even slightly alarming change in him. He had not once mentioned his meeting with Alicia, Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the closed ward in St. Mungo's, and taking their lead from him, they had kept quiet about it too. Nor had he said anything on the subject of Bellatrix and her fellow torturers' escape; in fact, he barely spoke during D.A. meetings anymore, but worked relentlessly on every new jinx and countercurse Alicia or Harry taught them, his plump face screwed up in concentration, apparently indifferent to injuries or accidents, working harder than anyone else in the room. He was improving so fast it was quite unnerving and when the twins taught them the Shield Charm, a means of deflecting minor jinxes so that they rebounded upon the attacker, only Hermione mastered the charm faster than Neville.

Unlike Neville in the D.A. meetings however Harry was not getting any better at Occlumency, and ever since they'd started Alicia had noticed the change in Harry and their scars, which always seemed to be prickling. Alicia was working very hard at the sessions, having even gone back to the room of Requirement to replace the Legilimency book, which she'd finished, with an Occlumency book, which she read to Harry some evenings to educate them on the art.

"I think we should, a couple nights a week, give it a shot just with ourselves. It'll be better for you if you're not getting all these emotional signals all the time and good for me to not feel your pain every time you do." Alicia said one night. Harry had admitted to her that he felt terribly like he was turning into a kind of aerial that was tuned in to tiny fluctuations in Voldemort's mood, which he blamed on Occlumency with Snape.

"And how do we do that?" Harry wondered

"Well, during our lessons I've been focusing on the feeling of Snape in my head more than pushing him out so that I know when my memories are being invaded." Alicia admitted

"I noticed he didn't seem very happy with you." Harry mumbled

"From there I can work out how to either divert my memories."

"Divert them?" Harry asked

"Look, from this book I've learnt that very skilled Occlumens can suppress only the thoughts, emotions, and memories that would contradict whatever it is an Occlumens wishes a legilimens to believe. In other words say someone wanted to know you're weakness you suppress those memories, emotions and thoughts so they can't find them, but you don't necessarily block the person out." Alicia explained "So far getting Snape out of my head as proven hard… though this is supposed to be harder." she sighed "I think directing thoughts sounds easier than clearing my entire brain when there's so much going on."

"So how does that help us practice?"

"Well I can get into your head, but you never know when I'm there, if you can work that out then you can work on blocking or diverting me." Alicia said "It'll allow you to relax more if I do it than Snape after all, and I doubt it'd be as painful."

"But what about the other way around, I can't see your memories." Harry believed

"You probably can actually considering, it seems, Voldemort can do it to you." Alicia shrugged "I got no idea how though,"

Harry didn't take long to agree to the extra practice sessions with Alicia, especially after Hermione agreed.

"You're the one Voldemort can access Alicia through, as long as you block yours then Alicia should be fine." she thought.

"It's not as easy as it seems Hermione, especially as it seems to be getting worse as we practice." Harry mumbled

"Maybe it's a bit like an illness," said Hermione, looking concerned. "A fever or something. It has to get worse before it gets better."

"It's lessons with Snape that are making it worse," said Harry flatly. "I'm getting sick of my scar hurting, and I'm getting bored walking down that corridor every night." He rubbed his forehead angrily. "I just wish the door would open, I'm sick of standing staring at it —"

"I just wonder what's on the other side. Department of Mysteries, it's so curious." Alicia admitted who'd been subjected to most of her nights seeing the same thing, although not always.

"That's not funny," said Hermione sharply. "Dumbledore doesn't want you to have dreams about that corridor at all, or he wouldn't have asked Snape to teach you Occlumency. You're just going to have to work a bit harder in your lessons."

"I am working!" said Harry, nettled. "You try it sometime, Snape trying to get inside your head, it's not a bundle of laughs, you know!"

"Maybe…" said Ron slowly.

"Maybe what?" said Hermione rather snappishly.

"Maybe it's not Harry's fault he can't close his mind," said Ron darkly.

"What do you mean?" said Hermione.

"Well, maybe Snape isn't really trying to help Harry…"

Harry and Hermione stared at him. Ron looked darkly and meaningfully from one to the other.

"Wow, you don't change your spots do you Ron." Alicia sighed as she understood where he was going. Harry and Hermione glanced at her before Ron continued.

"Maybe," he said again in a lower voice, "he's actually trying to open Harry's mind a bit wider… make it easier for You-Know —"

"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione angrily. "How many times have you suspected Snape, and when have you ever been right? Dumbledore trusts him, he works for the Order, that ought to be enough."

"He used to be a Death Eater," said Ron stubbornly. "And we've never seen proof that he really swapped sides…"

"Dumbledore trusts him," Hermione repeated. "And if we can't trust Dumbledore, we can't trust anyone."

"Well I still think we should try without Snape." Alicia said to Harry. To which he'd agreed.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45:

With the D.A. meetings, the piling of homework, classes, Quidditch and Harry and Alicia's extra Occlumency classes January had been and gone in the blink of an eye. With it meant the coming of February and Valentines Day, in which Harry was going to Hogsmeade with Cho.

Hermione and Alicia got to the Great Hall before Harry and Ron did, the two not arriving until the post. Hermione received a letter as an owl dropped before her, and was tugging it from the beak of the unfamiliar owl when the two boys sat down.

"And about time! If it hadn't come today…" she said eagerly, tearing open the envelope and pulling out a small piece of parchment. Her eyes sped from left to right as she read through the message and a grimly pleased expression spread across her face.

"Listen, Harry, Alicia," she said, looking up between the two of them. "This is really important… Do you think you could meet me in the Three Broomsticks around midday?"

"Well… I dunno," said Harry dubiously. "Cho might be expecting me to spend the whole day with her. We never said what we were going to do."

"Well, bring her along if you must," said Hermione urgently. "But will you come?"

"Well… all right,"

"Hermione I'm not even going into Hogsmeade today," Alicia admitted

"Well that's a shame I was going to ask if you'd like to join me." Fred said sitting beside her. Ron choked on his breakfast.

"Well unless you'd like to face Angelina when I don't turn up for tryouts." Alicia smirked slightly

"Well I'm sure if you need an escape we could give you one." Fred grinned

"Except she knows all about your little treats." Alicia said

"I don't see why you need to go." George said as he sat down "You're good enough without practice."

"Yes well, our beaters aren't and what's the point in training without—"

"Alicia, I need you to be in the Three Broomsticks at midday." Hermione demanded of her causing everyone to look surprised. "It's more important than you're training.

"Brilliant I guess you're coming with me then." Fred grinned, sharing a high-five with George

"But Angelina…"

"Tell her Snape's demanding you, she knows about your extra lessons." Harry said, although he didn't sound happy seeing as Alicia was being asked to ditch her Quidditch training when he couldn't even play.

"And when she hears about me being in Hogsmeade?" Alicia questioned with a raised eyebrow. "It's not like your absence will hinder much." Ron said and Alicia looked at them all.

"But it's a commitment…" she said beginning to feel guilty. "And Harry would kill me if I didn't." she pointed to him and they all looked at him.

"Look, an hour or two will not kill you." Hermione said

"But why?" Harry said before Alicia could say anything.

"I haven't got time to tell you now, I've got to answer this quickly —"

And she hurried out of the Great Hall, the letter clutched in one hand and a piece of uneaten toast in the other.

"So are you coming at all?" Harry asked Ron, but he shook his head, looking glum.

"I can't, Angelina wants a full day's training. Like it's going to help — we're the worst team I've ever seen. You should see Sloper and Kirke, they're pathetic, even worse than I am." He heaved a great sigh. "I dunno why Angelina won't just let me resign…"

"It's because you're good when you're on form, that's why," said Harry irritably.

Ron didn't mention Quidditch again during breakfast and when they were finished the three moved to the entrance hall where Ron and Alicia went to the Quidditch pitch and Harry moved to meet Cho to go to Hogsmeade.

"So, bale you out at lunch time?" Fred and George appeared on either side of Alicia making Ron jump.

Alicia looked at them both before turning to Fred who gave her that look to just do it.

"Fine." she agreed.

They beamed and Ron stared at them.

"But in time for Hermione and then we can go do what ever." she said strongly but the two twins grinned still as they nodded.

Ron and Alicia watched them walk off before the red-haired boy turned to Alicia.

"Is there something going on?" he asked

"Hmm?" she asked

"With you and Fred?"

"No." she shrugged and moved off towards the Quidditch pitch.

Angelina had them up in the air in no time but within a few minutes rain started to fall. Alicia scored more goals past Ron than she could count but at the same time Ron saved more goals than he had before. Angelina, Katie and Alicia, the three chasers, moved up and down the pitch with the Quaffle, working in harmony as usual.

Unfortunately Sloper and Kirke couldn't seem to hit a bludger to save their lives. They swung wildly and Kirke even dropped his bat at one stage while Slope slopped down into the mud off his broom.

Ginny however was a brilliant flier. Even in the rain she managed to catch the snitch many times and her skills were worth being appreciated and complimented.

It didn't matter that the rain turned into a downpour, it was light enough to see and so it was light enough to play. They ended up so muddy and wet within the first half an hour that they were feeling rather heavy. Alicia's impervious charm was placed on everyone but by that time they were all wet and dirty anyway.

Eventually Alicia saw Fred and George waving at her from the floor. The two had been sitting in the stands observing and, ignoring her teammates, she flew down to see them, landing with a splash of mud.

"Alright boys, what's your plan?" she asked as Angelina shouted at her.

"It's simple really." the two shrugged.

Alicia gapped in surprised as George suddenly snatched her firebolt and the two ran off with it!

She stood there staring, her arm extended and her mouth hanging open.

"Alicia!" Angelina demanded "What are they doing?"

"They stole my broom!" she replied shocked, she was actually feeling slightly annoyed at this fact as well.

"So go get it!" Alicia turned to her surprised

"Do you have any idea how long that might take?" she asked over the rain

"You've been teaching us how many spells, do one!" Angelina demanded

"Angelina if I do a spell against them I can guarantee Umbridge will find out and I'll be off the team too." Alicia said obviously. Angelina looked off after where the twins had vanished.

"Do they want us to loose!?" she shrieked

"Have you seen those beaters?" Alicia wondered with a raised eye as Ginny had joined them while Ron blocked a goal from Katie.

Angelina looked ready to cry and to kill the twins. Alicia shrugged at her, unable to think of anything to do, before she turned and moved off through the rain after the twins.

It wasn't hard to find them.

"Knew it'd work." Fred grinned to George.

"Yeah but she'll kill you." Alicia said as she shook her hair, sending water all over the Entrance Hall.

"Well, nothing can make those two dunderheads you call beaters, better." George mumbled and Alicia could sense the irritation behind it.

"Still, she's gone through heaps thanks to Umbridge, she doesn't need us messing it up too." Alicia mumbled before turning to the marble staircase, taking her broom back from George.

"Where you going?" Fred asked

"Shower." Alicia replied simply "Get the mud off then we can go to Hogsmeade." she grinned at them before hurrying up the stairs.

Alicia was back down the stairs and rejoining the twins within twenty minutes before they began to trudge their way down towards Hogsmeade.

Alicia pulled her wand out and pointed it towards the sky in which a transparent line of magical energy travelled upwards before an umbrella of the same transparent substance was cast over her head. The rain fell upon it and around her like with a normal umbrella. The twins looked surprised before they ducked under it with her. Alicia smirked and the umbrella expanded to shield the three of them.

"That's a handy charm." George believed

"Thank you." Alicia chuckled.

They walked down the lane until they reached the Three broomsticks.

"We'll meet you back here. We're just going to go into—"

"Zonkos." Alicia nodded "Well I'll meet you there if I'm done first or vice versa yeah?" she asked and the two twins nodded before ducked away from her umbrella protection and down the lane. Alicia turned to the door behind her and moved in through the warmth of the pub.

The girl pocketed her wand before looking around. It was easy to spot Hermione with her bushy hair but who was with her shocked Alicia. The girl moved through the tables towards them before standing at the table. Harry was already there and everyone looked up at her as she looked at those occupying it with them.

"I think I walked into a parallel universe." she mumbled.

Luna Lovegood was sitting at the table but so was Rita Skeeter, ex-journalist on the Daily Prophet and one of Hermione's least favourite people in the world. Rita of course had not written anything since their previous year as Hermione was blackmailing her with Rita's biggest secret. She was an unregistered animagus, being able to turn into a beetle, and that was how she got her inside scoops. Only now, unlike when they'd seen her last, her hair in elaborate curls and her nails shined, manicured and polished, her hair hung lank and unkempt and her nails were chipped. There were even some jewels missing from her winged glasses.

"Alicia you made it!" Hermione smiled

"Thank the twins…" Alicia said still unsure "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"I was asking Harry about his day." Rita returned "So, pretty girl, is she, Harry?"

"One more word about Harry's love life and the deal's off and that's a promise," said Hermione irritably. "Sit down Alicia." Alicia looked at Harry who shrugged and the girl did so.

"What deal?" said Rita, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "You haven't mentioned a deal yet, Miss Prissy, you just told me to turn up. Oh, one of these days…" She took a deep shuddering breath.

"Yes, yes, one of these days you'll write more horrible stories about Harry and me," said Hermione indifferently. "Find someone who cares, why don't you?"

"They've run plenty of horrible stories about Harry this year without my help," said Rita, shooting a sideways look at him over the top of her glass and adding in a rough whisper, "How has that made you feel, Harry? Betrayed? Distraught? Misunderstood?"

"He feels angry, of course," said Hermione in a hard, clear voice. "Because he's told the Minister of Magic the truth and the Minister's too much of an idiot to believe him."

"So you actually stick to it, do you, that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?" said Rita, lowering her glass and subjecting Harry to a piercing stare while her finger strayed longingly to the clasp of the crocodile bag. "You stand by all this garbage Dumbledore's been telling everybody about You-Know-Who returning and you being the sole witness — ?"

"I wasn't the sole witness," snarled Harry. "Alicia was with me." he pointed to her.

"Yes how did you get there?" Rita asked

"Barty Crouch Junior handed me some parchment which was a Portkey." Alicia said simple.

"And why would he bother doing that?" Rita wondered

"Probably because I'm Harry's sister." she shrugged. Rita looked at her before smiling.

"You mean his long lost sister presumed dead. Why there's been no news about that." she said

"Of course not. Fudge doesn't want to make that speculation like he doesn't want people believing Harry. But he and most in the ministry are aware of it and so is everyone here at Hogwarts, as Dumbledore announced it." Alicia explained "And why would you think Harry was the only one there?" she questioned "I did come out of the maze as well."

"Also there were a dozen-odd Death Eaters there as well. Want their names?" Harry added.

"I'd love them," breathed Rita, now fumbling in her bag once more and gazing at him as though he was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. " _A great bold headline: 'Potter Accuses…'_ A subheading: ' _Harry Potter Names Death Eaters Still Among Us._ ' And then, beneath a nice big photograph of you: ' _Disturbed teenage survivor of You-Know-Who's attack, Harry Potter, 15, caused outrage yesterday by accusing respectable and prominent members of the Wizarding community of being Death Eaters…_ ' "

"Yes that'll get us far." Alicia said acidly "If you're going to write something at least write it in favour of us."

It was an easy guess for Alicia to have an idea of what Hermione was up to. Luna, who's father was the editor of the Quibbler and Rita who was a writer, calling Harry and Alicia here, she probably wanted to try and get the correct story out. If people wanted to know what happened this was a fast way to do it. The only problem was that the Quibbler was not very popular. Perhaps though, even if it was thought to be a weird magazine, it would still attract attention if people knew Harry and Alicia's story was there.

The Quick-Quotes Quill was actually in Rita's hand for once, as it usually wrote on it's own, and halfway to her mouth when the rapturous expression died out of her face.

"But of course," she said, lowering the quill and looking daggers at Hermione, "Little Miss Perfect wouldn't want that story out there, would she?"

"As a matter of fact," said Hermione sweetly, "that's exactly what Little Miss Perfect _does_ want."

Rita stared at her. So did Harry. Luna, on the other hand, sang, "Weasley Is Our King" dreamily under her breath and stirred her drink with a cocktail onion on a stick.

"You _want_ me to report what he says about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked Hermione in a hushed voice.

"Yes, I do," said Hermione. "The true story. All the facts. Exactly as Harry and Alicia report them. They'll give you all the details, they'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters they saw there, they'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now — oh, get a grip on yourself," she added contemptuously, throwing a napkin across the table, for at the sound of Voldemort's name, Rita had jumped so badly that she had slopped half her glass of firewhisky down herself.

"If you want to listen to our story you're going to have to hear the name." Alicia said simply.

Rita blotted the front of her grubby raincoat, still staring at Hermione. Then she said baldly, "The _Prophet_ wouldn't print it. In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes his cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional. Now, if you let me write the story from that angle —"

"We don't need another story about how Harry's lost his marbles!" said Hermione angrily. "We've had plenty of those already, thank you! I want him given the opportunity to tell the truth!"

"There's no market for a story like that," said Rita coldly.

"You mean the _Prophet_ won't print it because Fudge won't let them," said Hermione irritably.

Rita gave Hermione a long, hard look. Then, leaning forward across the table toward her, she said in a businesslike tone, "All right, Fudge is leaning on the _Prophet_ , but it comes to the same thing. They won't print a story that shows Harry in a good light. Nobody wants to read it. It's against the public mood. This last Azkaban breakout has got people quite worried enough. People just don't want to believe You-Know-Who's back."

"So the _Daily Prophet_ exists to tell people what they want to hear, does it?" said Hermione scathingly.

Rita sat up straight again, her eyebrows raised, and drained her glass of firewhisky.

"The _Prophet_ exists to sell itself, you silly girl," she said coldly.

"My dad thinks it's an awful paper," said Luna, chipping into the conversation unexpectedly. Sucking on her cocktail onion, she gazed at Rita with her enormous, protuberant, slightly mad eyes. "He publishes important stories that he thinks the public needs to know. He doesn't care about making money."

Rita looked disparagingly at Luna.

"I'm guessing your father runs some stupid little village newsletter?" she said. "'Twenty-five Ways to Mingle with Muggles' and the dates of the next Bring-and-Fly Sale?"

"No," said Luna, dipping her onion back into her gillywater, "he's the editor of _The Quibbler._ "

Rita snorted so loudly that people at a nearby table looked around in alarm.

" 'Important stories he thinks the public needs to know'?" she said witheringly. "I could manure my garden with the contents of that rag."

"Well, this is your chance to raise the tone of it a bit, isn't it?" said Hermione pleasantly. "Luna says her father's quite happy to take Harry and Alicia's interview. That's who'll be publishing it."

Rita stared at them both for a moment and then let out a great whoop of laughter.

" _The Quibbler_!" she said, cackling. "You think people will take him seriously if he's published in The Quibbler?"

"Some people won't," said Hermione in a level voice. "But the _Daily Prophet's_ version of the Azkaban breakout had some gaping holes in it. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether there isn't a better explanation of what happened, and if there's an alternative story available, even if it is published in a" — she glanced sideways at Luna, "in a — well, an _unusual_ magazine — I think they might be rather keen to read it."

Rita did not say anything for a while, but eyed Hermione shrewdly, her head a little to one side.

"All right, let's say for a moment I'll do it," she said abruptly. "What kind of fee am I going to get?"

"I don't think Daddy exactly pays people to write for the magazine," said Luna dreamily. "They do it because it's an honour, and, of course, to see their names in print."

Rita Skeeter looked as though the taste of Stinksap was strong in her mouth again as she rounded on Hermione. "I'm supposed to do this for _free_?"

"Well, yes," said Hermione calmly, taking a sip of her drink. "Otherwise, as you very well know, I will inform the authorities that you are an unregistered Animagus. Of course, the _Prophet_ might give you rather a lot for an insider's account of life in Azkaban…"

Rita looked as though she would have liked nothing better than to seize the paper umbrella sticking out of Hermione's drink and thrust it up her nose.

"I don't suppose I've got any choice, have I?" said Rita, her voice shaking slightly. She opened her crocodile bag once more, withdrew a piece of parchment, and raised her Quick-Quotes Quill.

"Daddy will be pleased," said Luna brightly. A muscle twitched in Rita's jaw.

"Okay, Harry?" said Hermione, turning to him. "Ready to tell the public the truth?"

"I suppose," said Harry, watching Rita balancing the Quick-Quotes Quill at the ready on the parchment between them.

"Yes." Alicia said in response. "I think it's about time." she decided and looked at Harry who glanced from Rita to her before nodding in agreement.

"Fire away, then, Rita," said Hermione serenely, fishing a cherry out of the bottom of her glass.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46:

Alicia walked out of the Three Broomsticks to find Fred standing just under the arch to hide from the downpour. Her umbrella appeared and she moved over to him, catching his attention.

"Where's George?" she asked

"He's with Lee." Fred shrugged "Did you have a butter beer?" Alicia blinked before she frowned

"I didn't actually, I didn't get the chance."

"What were you doing?" he wondered

"Hermione's blackmailing Rita Skeeter and she's organised for Harry and my story to be published in the Quibbler about the night Voldemort came back." she explained.

Fred looked at her surprised.

"Hermione's blackmailing Rita Skeeter?" Fred questioned and Alicia chuckled

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Rita's an unregistered animagus and Hermione got proof of it."

"Brilliant." Fred grinned. "So when's the article going to appear?"

"We're not sure, either this issue or the next." Alicia shrugged

"Do we get to read it?"

"Well if we don't tell people how will they know to look?" Alicia asked "I think it'd be smart to tell the D.A. members as they'll definitely be interested and want to know."

"Umbridge will have a cow."

"I know." Alicia smirked "Now we just need enough people to read it."

"I'm sure you'll manage." Fred said and he hung an arm over her shoulder, leading her away from the Three Broomsticks and through Hogsmeade.

They ended up in Spintwitches Sporting Needs, a shop full of sporting goods. The two Quidditch fans moved through the shelves with interest. Fred took to telling Alicia what half of the items were and she let him despite being aware of them all through books. As a treat for Alicia the Weasley twin took her to Tomes and Scrolls, Hogsmeade's book shop where she moved through the shelves excitedly, Fred following behind her. She pulled off some books that could help with the D.A. meetings as well as some extras class information for her exams.

"Just cause you didn't care about your O. ." Alicia rolled her eyes when Fred explained he didn't know why she was bothering. "Besides, can't let Hermione show me up." she smirked

"So why did you decide to publish what happened?" Fred asked as they moved to get a quick drink in the Three Broomsticks. "I mean, you didn't really tell anyone but Dumbledore what happened?"

"It was still a bit daunting." Alicia admitted "I mean watching someone die, and being close to possibly doing the same, isn't something you just get up and talk about. To be honest I think Harry and I just pushed it away to try and forget the trauma."

"I can't really understand what that'd be like." Fred mumbled

"Hopefully you'll never have to." Alicia nodded.

By the time they'd finished their butterbeers it was close to dinner time and they began to travel back up towards the castle. As they did they noticed the training practice was still continuing.

"I kinda feel bad." Alicia sighed

"Kinda?"

"Well I also think that if she wants to boost us up we've just got to play a quick game with Ginny getting the snitch as soon as possible."

"Well if Ron could—" Alicia hit the boy.

"He's actually really good Fred, he just has confidence issues and as soon as people start expecting things of him his nerves get in the way. You two making fun of him all the time doesn't help either." she scolded "Perhaps if you'd encourage him more he wouldn't be so bad."

"So it's our fault?" Fred rose an eyebrow

"That and the Slytherins. That song gets to him too much." Alicia sighed. "I'll just have to pocket as many goals as possible." she smirked.

They reached the castle to find George in the Entrance Hall.

"You waiting for us?" Alicia asked grinning

"Well you're only taking forever."

"Well we much more prefer each other's company than yours." Alicia shrugged simply and Fred smirked.

"Well that's what happens when you're into someone." George tried to return. Alicia however put a hand on his shoulder.

"And some day, it'll happen to you." she said with mock sympathy.

Fred chuckled and George rolled his eyes before they moved into the Great Hall and sat down for some dinner.

Hermione and Harry didn't arrive while they were eating their dessert and Ginny and Ron were apparently still training with Angelina.

"She can't keep them there all night, they need to eat." Alicia assured when Fred pointed this out.

"Still feel bad, Hufflepuff has an easy game ahead of them." George sighed

"Well if Umbridge wasn't around this wouldn't be a problem." Alicia confessed glancing at the women at the Staff table.

They proceeded to the Gryffindor common room to find Harry and Hermione already there. Both were standing over their pile of homework, Harry struggling with an Astronomy Star chart.

"Ron and Ginny not here?" asked Fred, looking around as he pulled up a chair and, when Harry shook his head, he said, "Good. We were watching their practice. They're going to be slaughtered. They're complete rubbish without us."

"Fred!" Hermione looked at Alicia and she laughed as she too took a seat.

"We've already talking about it. We're terrible." she said simply

"Alicia even ditched out." Fred smirked and Alicia hit him.

"Don't tell them that."

"Ginny's not bad," said George fairly, sitting down next to Fred. "Actually, I dunno how she got so good, seeing how we never let her play with us…"

"She's been breaking into your broom shed in the garden since the age of six and taking each of your brooms out in turn when you weren't looking," said Hermione from behind her tottering pile of Ancient Rune books.

"You really think she'd be left out?" Alicia smiled

"Oh," said George, looking mildly impressed. "Well — that'd explain it."

"Has Ron saved a goal yet?" asked Hermione, peering over the top of _Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms_.

"Well, he can do it if he doesn't think anyone's watching him," said Fred, rolling his eyes. "So all we have to do is ask the crowd to turn their backs and talk among themselves every time the Quaffle goes up his end on Saturday."

"Or Ginny catches the snitch early on but…" Alicia sighed, Fred patted her back before he got up again and moved restlessly to the window, staring out across the dark grounds.

"You know, Quidditch was about the only thing in this place worth staying for."

Hermione cast him a stern look.

"You've got exams coming!"

"Told you already, we're not fussed about N.E.W.T.s," said Fred.

"The Snackboxes are ready to roll, we found out how to get rid of those boils, just a couple of drops of murtlap essence sorts them, Lee put us onto it…"

"Huh." Alicia grinned turning to Harry.

George yawned widely and looked out disconsolately at the cloudy night sky.

"I dunno if I even want to watch this match. If Zacharias Smith beats us I might have to kill myself."

"Kill him, more like," said Fred firmly.

"That's the trouble with Quidditch," said Hermione absentmindedly, once again bent over her Rune translation, "it creates all this bad feeling and tension between the Houses."

She looked up to find her copy of _Spellman's Syllabary_ and caught Alicia, Fred, George, and Harry looking at her with expressions of mingled disgust and incredulity on their faces.

"Well, it does!" she said impatiently. "It's only a game, isn't it?"

"Hermione," said Harry, shaking his head, "you're good on feelings and stuff, but you just don't understand about Quidditch." Alicia rose an eyebrow, why were they talking about feelings?

"Maybe not," she said darkly, returning to her translation again, "but at least my happiness doesn't depend on Ron's goalkeeping ability."

Alicia couldn't argue with that and she could feel Harry agreed, but telling her wasn't an option.

"So, what's this about feelings?" Alicia wondered looking at her brother.

Harry began to grumble under his breath and Alicia could feel his annoyance as she looked at Hermione.

"It's Cho." Hermione admitted

"Right, I noticed she wasn't in the Three Broomsticks, what happened?" Alicia asked and Harry simply stared at his homework. "Was it bad…?" she asked slowly and Harry still said nothing. Alicia turned to Hermione.

"Harry told Cho that he wanted to meet me at the Three Broomsticks today." Hermione admitted

Alicia blinked.

"Is that how he said it?" she looked at Harry who nodded.

"Let me guess, she got angry about that." it was more a statement and Harry looked at her surprised. "Harry you spend so much time with Hermione that any girl who doesn't know you two well, would be seriously jealous of her." Alicia admitted "Technically Hermione's a threat." Harry looked at Hermione who nodded. The boy seemed to look her up and down as though trying to find what was threatening about her.

"But that's ridiculous." he believed as Fred and George shared a glance.

"I dunno, Alicia's pretty threatening…" George thought and the girl grinned proudly before turning back to her brother.

"Some girls, especially emotional ones, will jump to that conclusion. And if you turned around and said, in the middle of your date, that you wanted to meet with another girl, they're gonna get upset about it." Alicia confessed. "Especially if it's one you spend heaps of time with."

The Weasley twins were watching, seeming to enjoy the pep talk Alicia gave her brother.

"How was I supposed to know that was wrong? She got all huffy because I talk to Hermione but couldn't talk to her, about Cedric."

"Of course she would, it makes it sound like you like Hermione more than her. Now for me, it's not an issue, if I was Cho, I'd understand because you and Hermione are closer, so you trust Hermione more. But that's not what's going through her head, she just wants to know how you felt."

"She should have just asked." Harry grumbled

"And have you possibly reject her?" Alicia asked and Harry looked surprised. "Harry, Cho's emotions are already all over the place and she doesn't know how you feel about her. And if you're saying you want to meet Hermione, instead of spending time with her, she's worried you don't like her. She's not going to ask so you can confirm that." Alicia admitted and Harry stared.

"Reject her?"

"That's why she tried to make you jealous." Hermione said

"Jealous how?" Alicia wondered

"Apparently Rodger Davies asked her out." Hermione shrugged "And she took Harry to the same place she and Cedric used to go."

"First, never take a guy to the same place you took your ex, immediately it's like you're still thinking about them." Alicia admitted and Hermione nodded before thinking.

"Although, Cedric isn't technically her ex…" she mumbled frowning.

"Still, and why go somewhere where it reminds you of someone else?" Alicia asked before she turned to Harry. "Did she start crying again?" he nodded.

"She wanted to talk about Cedric." he grumbled

"And what did you say?" she asked

"I tried to change the topic and she got angry about that as well. Said she needed to talk about it." Harry said annoyed

"Well if she started crying I guess I get why you wouldn't want to make it worse." Alicia confessed and Harry looked thankful. "But the sympathetic thing to do, would have been to get her to let her feelings and thoughts out. It's better than letting a person bottle it all up." Harry looked at her incredulously. Alicia was looking thoughtful though. "Guys don't really do well when dealing with crying girls though, so I get why you tried to avoid it."

"Some don't have a problem." Fred said and George nodded

"No, some are more in touch with their emotions." Alicia nodded wisely and the twins looked annoyed as Harry chuckled slightly. "But other's are scared of when a girl cries cause they've got no idea how to deal with it." she shrugged

"How do you deal with it?" Harry asked

"It's not complicated, sometimes all they need is a hug. Just let them cry till their done and ask them if they need to talk, then you just let them rant. If you can offer some advice, do so, if not, just admit it." Alicia assured "I think if I was crying and I told a guy what was wrong and they said they had no idea how to help, it might even make me laugh." Hermione chuckled

"Well depends what it is that's wrong." she said "If you're crying cause they did something wrong and they say that…"

"God they're in so much trouble." Alicia admitted and George put a hand on Fred's shoulder. Fred looked at his twin who looked sympathetic for him. Harry looked slightly worried as well but Alicia put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Look, for future reference, if you need to meet another girl while on a date, unless you want to use it for an excuse to get out of the date, always make it look like it's the last thing you want to do and insult the girl as much as you can, as long as the two girls aren't friends of course. It'll make who ever you're with feel more secure in the two of you as an item, and less worried that you want someone else." Alicia shrugged simply

"That's it?" Fred, George and Harry all asked and Alicia looked at the twins with a raised eyebrow as Hermione nodded.

"Some girls will need that. For someone like Harry, who's really close to Hermione, there are some girls, like Cho, who need that security. Now if it was say, Ginny who Harry was going on a date with, he wouldn't need to bother. Ginny's confident in herself and she knows about Harry and Hermione's relationship, so she wouldn't care. She also wouldn't lay hints, she'd just say it straight."

"You're saying I should be dating Ginny?" Harry asked as Fred and George snickered

"I'm saying maybe you need someone who's more confident in themselves and a little more emotionally stable than Cho. Because you don't get all the little hints and nudges girls send at you." she shrugged and looked at Hermione who seemed to think this over.

"Well with Harry's life he would need someone strong willed anyway." she believed

"But hey, if you want to give it a shot with Cho then go for it." Alicia assured "You wont know if she's not right for you if you don't try." she admitted

"So what happens if you insult a girl, to another girl, and they turn out to be friends?" George asked, he had a look on his face that made Alicia believe he knew the answer.

"You run."


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47:

The next quidditch match approached and Alicia moved out onto the pitch with the new team feeling rather negative about the outcome but vowed to just play as hard as she could.

It was a short match, lasting only twenty-two minutes of agony. Ginny caught the snitch from under Summbery's nose, the Hufflepuff seeker, however Ron let in many more goals than Alicia could shoot, Kirke fell off his broom when Zacharias zoomed past with the Quaffle and Sloper missed a bludger and hit Angelina in the mouth instead. Fortunately they lost by only ten goals thanks to Ginny's catch, two hundred and forty versus two hundred and thirty.

The Gryffindor common room atmosphere afterwards was like a dismal funeral. Alicia slumped down into a chair with a butterbeer and sighed heavily. Ginny sat with her as well before they were joined by Harry.

"Good catch," he told her.

"I was lucky," she shrugged. "It wasn't a very fast Snitch and Summerby's got a cold, he sneezed and closed his eyes at exactly the wrong moment. Anyway, once you're back on the team —"

"Ginny, I've got a lifelong ban."

"You're banned as long as Umbridge is in the school," Ginny corrected him. "There's a difference. Anyway, once you're back, I think I'll try out for Chaser. Angelina is leaving next year and I prefer goal-scoring to Seeking anyway."

"Well I could always swap with you and we'll see how that works out." Alicia offered. Harry however had looked over to Ron who was sitting in the corner, hunched over, a butterbeer in his clutches as he stared at his knees.

"Angelina still won't let him resign," Ginny said, as she noticed his gaze. "She says she knows he's got it in him."

It was great Angelina had faith in Ron, but after he left the pitch to another coming chorus of "Weasley Is Our King" Alicia felt it might be nicer to let him leave the team.

Fred and George wandered over, Fred sitting beside Alicia and placing an arm around her shoulders.

"I haven't got the heart to take the mickey out of him, even," said Fred, looking over at Ron's crumpled figure. "Mind you… when he missed the fourteenth…"

He made wild motions with his arms as though doing an upright doggy-paddle.

"Well, I'll save it for parties, eh?"

"Well he doesn't need to feel worse." Alicia believed.

"You played well though." Fred told her

"Well," she flicked her hair with mock pride. They chuckled as she smiled.

Ron crept up to bed eventually and Harry followed a little while later. Alicia had stuck into her homework with Hermione as Fred and George played exploding snap. Eventually the two left and the girls were left to themselves.

"So," Hermione began. Alicia sighed and looked at her expectantly. "Fred?"

"You're such a girl sometimes." Alicia replied

"What? I noticed you come and leave with him today. Also you've both seemed rather cute lately." She said. Alicia shrugged.

"We'll see, they're finishing Hogwarts this year so who knows what'll happen." She confessed

"You'll still see them." Hermione said

"That I don't doubt." Alicia assured smiling.

"Well, do you like him?"

"I've always liked the twins Hermione, but maybe there's something a little different." she decided to divulge and Hermione smiled.

It seemed that was enough to please her for she didn't ask for more.

* * *

The four moved down to the Great Hall and entered it for breakfast exactly as the post was arriving. Hermione was not the only person eagerly awaiting her _Daily Prophet_ : Nearly everyone was eager for more news about the escaped Death Eaters, who, despite many reported sightings, had still not been caught. She gave the delivery owl a Knut and unfolded the newspaper eagerly while Harry helped himself to orange juice.

Alicia pulled some scrambled eggs towards her before an owl landed in front of her. She looked at it surprised as the same happened to Harry. Only Sirius sent them letters and he wouldn't dare to do so what with Umbridge intercepting them. So who the mystery letter came from she didn't know.

Harry seemed to think the same for he questioned the owl that landed before him.

"Who're you after?" he asked it, languidly removing his orange juice from underneath its beak and leaning forward to see the recipient's name and address:

 _Harry Potter_

 _Great Hall_

 _Hogwarts School._

Another owl landed before the two twins followed by five more owls. Alicia looked at them all as Harry frowned before she noticed an owl with two parcels, long and cylindrical.

"What's going on?" Ron asked in amazement, as the whole of Gryffindor table leaned forward to watch as another seven owls landed amongst the first ones, screeching, hooting, and flapping their wings.

Alicia reached through the owls to one and picked it up, it had two cylindrical parcels on both it's legs.

"Harry!" said Hermione breathlessly, looking at the owl Alicia had. "I think I know what this means — open that one first!" and she pointed at the owl.

Alicia and Harry both released the packages and the owl took off as they removed the brown paper. Out rolled a tightly furled copy of March's edition of _The Quibbler_. They unrolled it to see both of their own faces grinning, Harry sheepishly and Alicia brilliantly, at them from the front cover. In large red letters across his picture were the words:

 _ALICIA AND HARRY POTTER SPEAK OUT AT LAST:_

 _THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT WE SAW HIM RETURN_

"It's good, isn't it?" said Luna, who had drifted over to the Gryffindor table and now squeezed herself onto the bench between Fred and Ron. "It came out yesterday, I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these," she waved a hand at the assembled owls still scrabbling around on the table in front of Harry and Alicia, "are letters from readers."

"That's what I thought," said Hermione eagerly, "Harry, d'you mind if we — ?"

"Help yourself," said Harry, feeling slightly bemused.

"We'll read them faster together." Alicia believed

Ron and Hermione both started ripping open envelopes.

"This one's from a bloke who thinks you're off your rocker," said Ron, glancing down his letter. "Ah well…"

"This woman recommends you try a good course of Shock Spells at St. Mungo's," said Hermione, looking disappointed and crumpling up a second.

"This one looks okay, though," said Harry slowly, scanning a long letter from a witch in Paisley. "Hey, she says she believes me!"

"This one's in two minds," said Fred, who had joined in the letter-opening with enthusiasm. "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but he really doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back so he doesn't know what to think now… Blimey, what a waste of parchment…"

"Not really, he's gotten his fear out to someone, which can help." Alicia said as she opened a letter herself. "How dare you claim to be Alicia Potter…" she read before scrunching it up and tossing it. She reached for another. "'I knew there was a chance that if Harry survived you would have as well!' That's better." she smiled.

" 'Why did you bother to hide your identity as Alicia Potter?' " Fred read.

"Even I don't know but at least she believes me." Alicia responded.

"Here's another one you've convinced, Harry!" said Hermione excitedly. " 'Having read your side of the story I am forced to the conclusion that the _Daily Prophet_ has treated you very unfairly… Little though I want to think that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, I am forced to accept that you are telling the truth…' Oh this is wonderful!"

"Another one who thinks you're barking," said Ron, throwing a crumpled letter over his shoulder, "but this one says you've got her converted, and she now thinks you're a real hero — she's put in a photograph too — wow —"

"Your story makes much more sense with the recent disappearances and the breakout in Azkaban." Alicia read "Hell yeah it does—"

"What is going on here?" said a falsely sweet, girlish voice.

They looked up, Harry with his hands full of envelopes. Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred, Alicia and Luna, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of the twins. Behind her he saw many of the students watching them avidly.

"Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter?" she asked slowly.

"Is that a crime now?" said Fred loudly. "Getting mail?"

"Be careful, Mr. Weasley, or I shall have to put you in detention," said Umbridge. "Well, Mr. Potter?"

Harry hesitated and the twins shared a look, but he did not see how he could keep what he had done quiet; it was surely only a matter of time before a copy of _The Quibbler_ came to Umbridge's attention.

"People have written to us because we gave an interview," said Harry. "About what happened to us last June."

"An interview?" repeated Umbridge, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "What do you mean?"

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them," said Harry. "Here —"

And he threw the copy of The Quibbler at her. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet.

"When did you do this?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," said Harry.

She looked up at him and Alicia, her eyes darting between them, incandescent with rage, the magazine shaking in her stubby fingers.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," she whispered. "Or you Miss Evans." Alicia sighed and then took a breath in to try and calm her. She should have known something like this would have happened. Fred rubbed her back.

"How you dare… how you could…" She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions for you both."

She stalked away, clutching _The Quibbler_ to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.

"Well, that doesn't come as a surprise." Alicia sighed as Hermione stared after her.

"She's so…" she began before breathing harshly.

"Can your hand even take much more?" Fred asked Alicia

"Harry's had it more than me. I think problem now is a week with Umbridge, how we going to do Snape too and Angelina's going to kill me for missing training." Alicia stared after the women before she grinned. "Still she was so angry and shocked. What a better way to get under her skin!" they chuckled around her.

By mid-morning enormous signs had been put up all over the school, not just on House notice boards, but in the corridors and classrooms too.

 _— BY ORDER OF —_

 _The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts_

 _Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled._

 _The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven._

 _Signed:_

 _Dolores Jane Umbridge_

 _HIGH INQUISITOR_

Every time Hermione caught sight of one of these signs she beamed with pleasure. Alicia could understand why, by banning _The Quibbler_ Umbridge had guaranteed that every student would be interested in why there was such a ban and go looking for answers. There was not a better way to spread the news that Alicia and Harry Potter had opened up about their terrible experience.

"What exactly are you so happy about?" Harry asked Hermione, apparently not understanding this.

"Oh Harry, don't you see?" Hermione breathed. "If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!"

And it seemed that Hermione was quite right. By the end of that day, though no corner of _The Quibbler_ had been seen anywhere in the school, the whole place seemed to be quoting the interview at each other; Alicia over heard the whispers about it as they queued up outside classes, discussing it over lunch and in the back of lessons, while Hermione even reported that every occupant of the cubicles in the girls' toilets had been talking about it when she nipped in there before Ancient Runes.

"And then they spotted me, and obviously they know I know you, so they were bombarding me with questions," Hermione told Harry, her eyes shining, "and Harry, I think they believe you, I really do, I think you've finally got them convinced!"

Meanwhile Professor Umbridge was stalking the school, stopping students at random and demanding that they turn out their books and pockets. It was obvious she was looking for copies of _The Quibbler_ , but the students were several steps ahead of her. The pages carrying Alicia and Harry's interview had been bewitched to resemble extracts from textbooks if anyone but themselves read it, or else wiped magically blank until they wanted to peruse it again. Soon it seemed that every single person in the school had read it.

The teachers were, of course, forbidden from mentioning the interview by Educational Decree Number Twenty-six, but they found ways to express their feelings about it all the same. Professor Sprout awarded Gryffindor twenty points when Harry passed her a watering can; Professor Vector didn't give Alicia any homework in Arithmancy; a beaming Professor Flitwick pressed a box of squeaking sugar mice on him at the end of Charms, said " _Shh_!" and hurried away; Professor McGonagall awarded Alicia house points when she passed her in the corridor just for having her Transfiguration book in her hands; and Professor Trelawney apparently broke into hysterical sobs during Divination and announced to the startled class, and a very disapproving Umbridge, that Harry was not going to suffer an early death after all, but would live to a ripe old age, become Minister of Magic, and have twelve children.

The most surprising response to the interview was Cho, who caught up with Harry as he was hurrying along to Transfiguration the next day. Before he knew what had happened her hand was in his and she was breathing in his ear, "I'm really, really sorry. That interview was so brave… it made me cry."

She even kissed his cheek before running off. As they walked into Transfiguration Seamus walked up to the twins from his place in the cue.

"I just wanted to say," he mumbled, squinting at Harry's left knee, "I believe you. And I've sent a copy of that magazine to me mam."

If anything more was needed to complete Harry's happiness, it was Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle's reactions. He saw them with their heads together later that afternoon in the library, together with a weedy-looking boy Hermione whispered was called Theodore Nott. They looked around at Harry as he browsed the shelves for the book he needed on Partial Vanishment, and Goyle cracked his knuckles threateningly and Malfoy whispered something undoubtedly malevolent to Crabbe. Alicia waved to them with a grin, their reactions were in response to the two listing each of their parents as Death Eaters.

"And the best bit is," whispered Hermione gleefully as they left the library, "they can't contradict you, because they can't admit they've read the article!"

"They'd also have to admit they believe us." Alicia added

To cap it all, Luna told him over dinner that no copy of _The Quibbler_ had ever sold out faster.

"Dad's reprinting!" she told Harry, her eyes popping excitedly. "He can't believe it, he says people seem even more interested in this than the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks!"

"Durr," Alicia had whispered under her breath as the girl had moved away.

The twins were the heroes of the Gryffindor common room that night; daringly, Fred and George had put an Enlargement Charm on the front cover of The Quibbler and hung it on the wall, so that Alicia and Harry's giant heads gazed down upon the proceedings, occasionally saying things like "The Ministry are morons" and "Eat dung, Umbridge" in booming voices. Hermione did not find this very amusing; she said it interfered with her concentration, and ended up going to bed early out of irritation. Harry had to admit that the poster was not quite as funny after an hour or two, especially when the talking spell had started to wear off, so that it merely shouted disconnected words like "Dung" and "Umbridge" at more and more frequent intervals in a progressively higher voice.

Alicia however found it hella funny until she blocked it out.

"Brings out all your beauty." Fred complimented to her

"Not that it's hard." Alicia shrugged and he and George both nodded in agreement before the three laughed.

Most of the Gryffindors wanted the two to repeat the interview and story over and over again, despite them likely having the copies themselves. Alicia could feel the prickle in her neck as Harry did in his forehead and he decided, to disappointed moans from the many people who were sitting around him, that he too needed an early night.

Alicia watched him go and the crowd turned to her. She held her hands up.

"As much as reliving my traumatic experiences thrill me, I do have some homework to do. And thanks to that interview I have more detentions with Umbridge so I can't let it get out of hand." she admitted and turned to the stack she had beside her. They mumbled as they walked away and the Twins told the mumbling group off for complaining.

"I'm surprised you can retell it so many times." George said

"I'm surprised you can listen to it so many times." Alicia returned as she pulled her transfiguration homework forwards. She scratched at her neck and Fred reached up to move her hair to look at the spot.

"What?" she asked

"Well you touch that spot a lot, I was wondering why." he mumbled and he removed Alicia's hand. He eyed the wonky cross shaped scar on her neck.

"I didn't know you had that." he murmured

"Most don't. And it's easily hidden by my hair."

"Where'd you get it?" George asked as he got up from his seat to peered closer.

"Where do you think?" Alicia asked with a raised eyebrow. The two boys looked at her before they gapped.

"That's from _him_?!" they chorused, causing many people to turn and look at them.

Alicia nodded. "I did get some of the backlash from the curse, that's why Harry and I are connected I think. Though Dumbledore hasn't elaborated." she explained

"You didn't put that in the interview!" Fred said and Alicia looked at him blinking.

"I actually forgot about it. And because people don't know it's there Rita didn't ask."

"We need to tell people!" George thought

"That'll be hard to throw off!"

"It could just be any scar though." Alicia said as Fred brushed his fingers through her black hair. "What's to say it's special like Harry's?"

"How about the fact that it prickles whenever his does?" George offered

"Yeah but that's just my word." Alicia sighed "It's not really proof." she brushed her scar again.

"So is it like Harry's?" Fred wondered

"Well, it's somehow connected to Harry's. When ever his starts to hurt or prickle mine does the same. Like now." Alicia mumbled

"It's hurting?"

"it's just prickling. You get used to it. But usually when that happens Harry has some sort of vision of Voldemort." she said lowering her voice. The twins looked surprised before they all glanced towards the dormitories.

"You mean he could be having one right now?" Fred asked and Alicia nodded.

"His scar prickles and he starts to feel sick."

"What if it's important?" George wondered. Alicia shrugged

"When he gets them as dreams I only get the same if I'm asleep too." she admitted "But I haven't had one for a while…" though Alicia didn't know if that was because of their Occlumency lessons. Alicia and Harry had been trying to practice without Snape as he didn't make it easy for Harry and as they'd done that Alicia had been practicing Legilimency, to help Harry learn to block it more, as well as using their connection to just delve into his thoughts and memories. Alicia didn't know if she'd managed to stop entering Harry's head but she was aware that he had not succeeded very well, as Snape continuously told him, and didn't seem to be able to keep her out.

"Well come on!" Fred and George suddenly got up and Fred dragged Alicia with them to the boys staircase.

"Fred!" Alicia complained as many watched them, a few laughing.

They moved into the fifth years boy's dormitory to find Ron bent over a bundle of hangings on the floor.

"Well…" Alicia mumbled surprised.

Ron finally wrenched the hangings apart to reveal Harry from inside them. He looked up at Ron staring shocked and slightly white faced before looking at Alicia and the twins.

"What are you doing?" Ron demanded of her

"The twins dragged me in."

"Alicia said Harry might have been having another vision." Fred admitted

"Well I really was talking about my scar." Alicia mumbled as she rubbed her's. "He must be angry the pain suddenly flared up." She walked over and helped Harry up to his feet.

"Has someone been attacked again?" asked Ron. He had one arm out of his robes, having clearly been getting ready for bed. "Is it Dad? Is it that snake?"

"No — everyone's fine —" gasped Harry as Alicia felt the burn in her neck. "Well… Avery isn't… He's in trouble… He gave him the wrong information… He's really angry…"

Harry groaned as he sank, shaking onto his bed, rubbing his scar. Alicia sat beside him and rubbed his back as the twins moved over.

"But Rookwood's going to help him now… He's on the right track again…"

"What are you talking about?" said Ron, sounding scared. "D'you mean… did you just see You-Know-Who?"

"I was You-Know-Who," said Harry, and he stretched out his hands in the darkness, almost as though he was checking they were his, and not Voldemort's deathly pale spider like fingers. "He was with Rookwood, he's one of the Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban, remember? Rookwood's just told him Bode couldn't have done it…"

"Who's Bode?" George asked

"He was a guy we met in St Mungo's, he was strangled by Devil's snare there. He got the plant from someone anonymous at Christmas." Alicia explained

"How do you know that?" Fred asked

"We saw him being given the plant and heard about his death in the Daily Prophet." Alicia said "What did Rookwood do?" Alicia asked

"What did Bode do?" Ron also asked.

"Remove something… He said Bode would have known he couldn't have done it… Bode was under the Imperius Curse… I think he said Malfoy's dad put it on him…"

"No surprise there." The twins chorused.

"Bode was bewitched to remove something?" Ron said. "But — Harry, that's got to be —"

"The weapon," Harry finished the sentence for him. "I know."

"Excellent. So what is it?" Fred asked

"I don't know." Harry shook his head before the Dormitory door opened and Dean and Seamus came in.

"Come on," Alicia mumbled to the two boys after glancing at the new arrivals. She to to her feet to move towards the door, patting Harry's shoulder as she did.

"We don't need to leave." the twins believed. Alicia looked at them before sighing sadly.

"Guess I'll go all by my lonesome self then." she sighed dramatically.

The twins rolled their eyes before each hooked an arm through her's and escorted her from the room.

"I swear, she's got them wrapped around her finger." Ron said to Harry in a mumble.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48:

The boys didn't talk about Harry's vision to Hermione all morning, and only at break did they think to mention it. The four were standing in their usual corner of the cool and breezy courtyard where they were very unlikely to be heard. Harry went into every detail of his dream with her, and Alicia listened as well, having for once not seen it herself.

When he had finished, she said nothing at all for a few moments, but stared with a kind of painful intensity at Fred and George, who were both headless and selling their magical hats from under their cloaks on the other side of the yard.

"So that's why they killed him," she said quietly, withdrawing her gaze from Fred and George at last. "When Bode tried to steal this weapon, something funny happened to him. I think there must be defensive spells on it, or around it, to stop people from touching it. That's why he was in St. Mungo's, his brain had gone all funny and he couldn't talk. But remember what the Healer told us? He was recovering. And they couldn't risk him getting better, could they? I mean, the shock of whatever happened when he touched that weapon probably made the Imperius Curse lift. Once he'd got his voice back, he'd explain what he'd been doing, wouldn't he? They would have known he'd been sent to steal the weapon. Of course, it would have been easy for Lucius Malfoy to put the curse on him. Never out of the Ministry, is he?"

"And it would have been easy if they picked an Unspeakable to do the job, they can enter without being suspected. And if Lucius is in the ministry he could collect it from Bode before anyone noticed, whether it was bit or small. To think, if there hadn't been charms to stop him touching it Voldemort could have gotten it already." Alicia mumbled. "It mustn't be very big though," she believed "If one person is all it takes to collect."

"You're still hanging on the idea of this weapon not being weapon aren't you?" Ron said

"I just said it was a possibility. A weapon doesn't necessarily have to be something that kills a lot of people." she shrugged. "I mean the Imperius Curse doesn't kill people but it's a weapon, as demonstrated by many more besides Lucius Malfoy."

"He was even hanging around that day I had my hearing," said Harry pointing to Alicia, she nodded remembering. "In the — hang on…" he said slowly. "He was in the Department of Mysteries corridor that day! Your dad said he was probably trying to sneak down and find out what happened in my hearing, but what if —"

"Sturgis," gasped Hermione, looking thunderstruck.

"Sorry?" said Ron, looking bewildered.

"Sturgis Podmore," said Hermione, breathlessly. "Arrested for trying to get through a door. Lucius Malfoy got him too. I bet he did it the day you saw him there, Harry. Sturgis had Moody's Invisibility Cloak, right? So what if he was standing guard by the door, invisible, and Malfoy heard him move, or guessed he was there, or just did the Imperius Curse on the off chance that a guard was there? So when Sturgis next had an opportunity — probably when it was his turn on guard duty again — he tried to get into the department to steal the weapon for Voldemort — Ron, be quiet — but he got caught and sent to Azkaban…"

"If that's the case though, the Death Eaters and Voldemort could have gotten some insight into the Order as well. With Sturgis under the Imperius Church he'd be forced to blab." Alicia worried

"Well luckily he can't give up Grimmauld Place." Hermione said and Alicia nodded

"And Voldemort was likely to know we knew what he's before they had Sturgis." she looked annoyed "Mustn't have said much though, or Snape probably wouldn't be here anymore." the three shared a look as Alicia contemplated the idea.

Hermione turned to gaze at Harry.

"And now Rookwood's told Voldemort how to get the weapon?"

"I didn't hear all the conversation, but that's what it sounded like," said Harry. "Rookwood used to work there… Maybe Voldemort'll send Rookwood to do it?"

"How? He's a most wanted, he can't walk into the Ministry." Alicia reminded him.

Hermione nodded, apparently still lost in thought. Then, quite abruptly, she said, "But you shouldn't have seen this at all, Harry."

"What?" he said, taken aback.

"You're supposed to be learning how to close your mind to this sort of thing," said Hermione, suddenly stern.

"I know I am," said Harry.

"Alicia didn't see it." Hermione pointed

"I wasn't asleep." Alicia said obviously "Neither of us get pulled in unless we're sleeping so far. Or I concentrate."

"He shouldn't be seeing it at all. He needs to practice."

"But —" Harry tried to interject.

"Well, I think we should just try and forget what you saw," said Hermione firmly. "And you ought to put in a bit more effort on your Occlumency from now on."

Harry was so angry with her that he did not talk to her for the rest of the day.

It wasn't a great day, which wasn't unusual around the castle anymore. When people were not discussing the escaped Death Eaters in the corridors today, they were laughing at Gryffindor's abysmal performance in their match against Hufflepuff; the Slytherins were singing "Weasley Is Our King" so loudly and frequently that by sundown Filch had banned it from the corridors out of sheer irritation.

Alicia did not disagree with the caretaker for once.

Things moved along at a lousy pace. Harry received two more D's in potions, Hagrid was still on probation and possibly getting the sack and they were still moving through Occlumency lessons.

Harry ended up once more on the floor of Snape's office during another of their sessions. It had been a couple of weeks since Harry had seen Rookwood and Snape seemed yet to delve into those memories, having not told Harry off for it, and Alicia assumed Harry had put it to the back of his mind.

"Get up, Potter." Snape commanded.

Alicia sighed. She had managed to figure out the best way to get Snape from her head. She could see through the memories flashing through her mind to Snape and either use a spell to deflect him or even direct her thoughts to confuse him and stop him finding what ever he might have been looking for.

Harry however had not had as much luck.

"That last memory," said Snape. "What was it?"

"I don't know," said Harry, getting wearily to his feet. He was finding it increasingly difficult to disentangle separate memories from the rush of images and sound that Snape kept calling forth. "You mean the one where my cousin tried to make me stand in the toilet?"

"No," said Snape softly. "I mean the one concerning a man kneeling in the middle of a darkened room…"

"It's… nothing," said Harry. Alicia released a slow breath from her seat.

Snape's dark eyes bored into Harry's. Remembering what Snape had said about eye contact being crucial to Legilimency, Harry blinked and looked away.

"How do that man and that room come to be inside your head, Potter?" said Snape.

"It —" said Harry, looking everywhere but at Snape, "it was — just a dream I had."

"A dream," repeated Snape.

There was a pause during which Harry stared fixedly at a large dead frog suspended in a purple liquid in its jar.

"You do know why we are here, don't you, Potter?" said Snape in a low, dangerous voice. "You do know why I am giving up my evenings to this tedious job?"

"Yes," said Harry stiffly.

"Remind me why we are here, Potter."

"So I can learn Occlumency," said Harry, now glaring at a dead eel.

"Correct, Potter. And dim though you may be" — Harry looked back at Snape, hating him — "I would have thought that after two months' worth of lessons you might have made some progress. How many other dreams about the Dark Lord have you had?"

"Just that one," lied Harry.

"Perhaps," said Snape, his dark, cold eyes narrowing slightly, "perhaps you actually enjoy having these visions and dreams, Potter. Maybe they make you feel special — important?"

"No, they don't," said Harry, his jaw set and his fingers clenched tightly around the handle of his wand.

"That is just as well, Potter," said Snape coldly, "because you are neither special nor important, and it is not up to you to find out what the Dark Lord is saying to his Death Eaters."

"No — that's your job, isn't it?" Harry shot at him. Alicia blinked, surprised Harry had returned with such a comment.

For a long moment the two stared at each other, Harry convinced he had gone too far. But there was a curious, almost satisfied expression on Snape's face when he answered.

"Yes, Potter," he said, his eyes glinting. "That is my job. Now, if you are ready, we will start again…"

He raised his wand. "One — two — three — _Legilimens_!"

Alicia watched as Harry began to fall towards the floor again before suddenly he was raising his own wand.

" _Protego_!"

Snape staggered; his wand flew upward, away from Harry — and Alicia felt as though her head was rather crowded all of a sudden. She closed her eyes and saw a quick image of a hook-nosed man shouting at a cowering woman, while a small dark-haired boy cried in a corner, then a greasy-haired teenager sat alone in a dark bedroom, pointing his wand at the ceiling, shooting down flies…

"ENOUGH!"

Snape shouted and Alicia opened her eyes as her head seemed to have the pressure released.

Harry suddenly staggered backwards and hit some of the shelves covering Snape's walls and heard something crack. Snape was shaking slightly, very white in the face.

The back of Harry's robes were damp. One of the jars behind him had broken when he fell against it; the pickled slimy thing within was swirling in its draining potion.

Alicia shook her head and looked between the two, she put a small smile on her face as though trying to look impressed at Harry for clearly blocking Snape from his mind. She knew that the feeling of her crowded mind had come from Harry, and the images were most definitely Snape's. The shielding charm had put Harry into Snape's head instead of the other way around.

Why she'd been drawn in as well when that hardly happened she was unsure.

" _Reparo_!" hissed Snape, and the jar sealed itself once more. "Well, Potter… that was certainly an improvement…" Panting slightly, Snape straightened the Pensieve in which he had again stored some of his thoughts before starting the lesson, almost as though checking that they were still there. "I don't remember telling you to use a Shield Charm… but there is no doubt that it was effective…"

Harry said nothing, as though he was worried to do so.

"Let's try again, shall we?" said Snape.

They moved back into position with the desk between them. Alicia said nothing about having a shot herself and watched the two. It was more important for Harry to learn.

"On the count of three, then," said Snape, raising his wand once more. "One — two — _Legilimens_!"

Alicia was pulled in again, the room vanished from before her. They were hurtling along the corridor toward the Department of Mysteries, past the blank stone walls, past the torches — the plain black door was growing ever larger; they were moving so fast that a collision was inevitable, feet from it and that chink of faint blue light was there again —

The door had flown open! They were through it at last, inside a black-walled, black-floored circular room lit with blue-flamed candles, and there were more doors all around him — he needed to go on — but which door ought he to take — ?

"POTTER!"

Alicia gasped as she was kneeling on the floor, the chair she had been sitting in had fallen over and Harry was lying beside her, flat on his back.

Alicia took several deep breaths and shook her head as she tried to recompose herself. She hadn't dreamed of the door as constantly as Harry had since they'd started Occlumency lessons but she knew it had never opened before. And it explained why Harry let it continue instead of pushing Snape and her out, he wanted to know what was on the other side. Alicia could feel his desire to get through the door finally.

Snape was standing over Harry and he looked even more furious at the idea of Harry letting the vision continue than of Harry entering his head and seeing his memories. He glanced at Alicia who stood the chair up and sat herself back down on it.

"Explain yourself!" said Snape

"I… dunno what happened," said Harry truthfully, standing up. He moved to Alicia checking she was alright despite his legs shaking slightly. "I've never seen that before. I mean, I told you, I've dreamed about the door… but it's never opened before…"

"You are not working hard enough! You are lazy and sloppy, Potter, it is small wonder that the Dark Lord —"

"Can you tell me something, sir?" said Harry, firing up again. "Why do you call Voldemort the Dark Lord, I've only ever heard Death Eaters call him that —"

Alicia sighed, her stability coming back to her. Snape had been a Death Eater of course it's a habit of his.

Snape opened his mouth in a snarl — and a woman screamed from somewhere outside the room.

Alicia looked up surprised at the celling as Snape's head jerked upward, the professor doing the same.

"What the — ?" he muttered.

There was a muffled commotion coming from what was likely to be the entrance hall. Snape looked around at him, frowning.

"Did you see anything unusual on your way down here, Potter?"

Both Alicia and Harry shook their heads. Somewhere above them, the woman screamed again. Snape strode to his office door, his wand still held at the ready, and swept out of sight. Harry hesitated for a moment while Alicia got from her seat and grabbed Harry on her way past to follow.

The screams were indeed coming from the entrance hall; they grew louder as the twins ran toward the stone steps leading up from the dungeons. When they reached the top they found the entrance hall packed. Students had come flooding out of the Great Hall, where dinner was still in progress, to see what was going on. Others had crammed themselves onto the marble staircase. Alicia and Harry pushed forward through a knot of tall Slytherins and saw that the onlookers had formed a great ring, some of them looking shocked, others even frightened. Professor McGonagall was directly opposite Harry on the other side of the hall; she looked as though what she was watching made her feel faintly sick.

Professor Trelawney was standing in the middle of the entrance hall with her wand in one hand and an empty sherry bottle in the other, looking utterly mad. Her hair was sticking up on end, her glasses were lopsided so that one eye was magnified more than the other; her innumerable shawls and scarves were trailing haphazardly from her shoulders, giving the impression that she was falling apart at the seams. Two large trunks lay on the floor beside her, one of them upside down; it looked very much as though it had been thrown down the stairs after her. Professor Trelawney was staring, apparently terrified, at something neither twin could not see but that seemed to be standing at the foot of the stairs.

Alicia already had a guess of what it was.

"No!" she shrieked. "NO! This cannot be happening… It cannot… I refuse to accept it!"

"You didn't realise this was coming?" said a high girlish voice, sounding callously amused, and Harry, moving slightly to his right, saw that Trelawney's terrifying vision was nothing other than Professor Umbridge. He pulled Alicia towards him and pointed at the toad women. Alicia nodded, her suspicions confirmed. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realised that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvement, would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"

"You c-can't!" howled Professor Trelawney, tears streaming down her face from behind her enormous lenses, "you c-can't sack me! I've b-been here sixteen years! H-Hogwarts is m-my h-home!"

"It was your home," said Professor Umbridge, and Harry was revolted to see the enjoyment stretching her toadlike face as she watched Professor Trelawney sink, sobbing uncontrollably, onto one of her trunks. Alicia balled her hands up angrily, remembering to keep them away from her wand incase her anger got the better of her. "until an hour ago, when the Minister of Magic countersigned the order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us."

But she stood and watched, with an expression of gloating enjoyment, as Professor Trelawney shuddered and moaned, rocking backward and forward on her trunk in paroxysms of grief. Harry heard a sob to his left and looked around. Lavender and Parvati were both crying silently, their arms around each other. Professor McGonagall broke away from the spectators, marched straight up to Professor Trelawney and was patting her firmly on the back while withdrawing a large handkerchief from within her robes.

"There, there, Sibyll… Calm down… Blow your nose on this… It's not as bad as you think, now… You are not going to have to leave Hogwarts…"

"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" said Umbridge in a deadly voice, taking a few steps forward. "And your authority for that statement is…?"

"That would be mine," said a deep voice.

The oak front doors had swung open. Students beside them scuttled out of the way as Dumbledore appeared in the entrance. What he had been doing out in the grounds Harry could not imagine. He looked at Alicia and she shrugged. He'd either have left the school for some weird reason or been to see Hagrid for something… or perhaps something else. She had to admit though that there was something impressive about the sight of him framed in the doorway against an oddly misty night. Leaving the doors wide behind him, he strode forward through the circle of onlookers toward the place where Professor Trelawney sat, tearstained and trembling, upon her trunk, Professor McGonagall alongside her.

"Yours, Professor Dumbledore?" said Umbridge with a singularly unpleasant little laugh. "I'm afraid you do not understand the position. I have here" — she pulled a parchment scroll from within her robes — "an Order of Dismissal signed by myself and the Minister of Magic. Under the terms of Educational Decree Number Twenty-three, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts has the power to inspect, place upon probation, and sack any teacher she — that is to say, I — feel is not performing up to the standard required by the Ministry of Magic. I have decided that Professor Trelawney is not up to scratch. I have dismissed her."

But Dumbledore only continued to smile. He looked down at Professor Trelawney, who was still sobbing and choking on her trunk, and said, "You are quite right, of course, Professor Umbridge. As High Inquisitor you have every right to dismiss my teachers. You do not, however, have the authority to send them away from the castle. I am afraid," he went on, with a courteous little bow, "that the power to do that still resides with the headmaster, and it is my wish that Professor Trelawney continue to live at Hogwarts."

At this, Professor Trelawney gave a wild little laugh in which a hiccup was barely hidden.

"No — no, I'll g-go, Dumbledore! I sh-shall l-leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere —"

"No," said Dumbledore sharply. "It is my wish that you remain, Sibyll."

He turned to Professor McGonagall.

"Might I ask you to escort Sibyll back upstairs, Professor McGonagall?"

"Of course," said McGonagall. "Up you get, Sibyll…"

Professor Sprout came hurrying forward out of the crowd and grabbed Professor Trelawney's other arm. Together they guided her past Umbridge and up the marble stairs. Professor Flitwick went scurrying after them, his wand held out before him; he squeaked, " _Locomotor trunks_!" and Professor Trelawney's luggage rose into the air and proceeded up the staircase after her, Professor Flitwick bringing up the rear.

Professor Umbridge was standing stock-still, staring at Dumbledore, who continued to smile benignly.

"And what," she said in a whisper that nevertheless carried all around the entrance hall, "are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "You see, I have already found us a new Divination teacher, and he will prefer lodgings on the ground floor."

"You've found — ?" said Umbridge shrilly. " _You've_ found? Might I remind you, Dumbledore, that under Educational Decree Twenty-two —"

"— the Ministry has the right to appoint a suitable candidate if — and only if — the headmaster is unable to find one," said Dumbledore. "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?"

He turned to face the open front doors, through which night mist was now drifting. The sound of hooves sounded and Alicia began to grin. There was only creature that could teach, being able to speak to them, and had hooves. Umbridge was going to flip. There was a shocked murmur around the hall and those nearest the doors hastily moved even farther backward, some of them tripping over in their haste to clear a path for the newcomer.

Through the mist came a face Harry and Alicia had seen once before on a dark, dangerous night in the Forbidden Forest: white-blond hair and astonishingly blue eyes, the head and torso of a man joined to the palomino body of a horse.

"This is Firenze," said Dumbledore happily to a thunderstruck Umbridge. "I think you'll find him suitable."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49:

"Oh I almost wish I could see Umbridge's face!" Alicia smirked at breakfast as she tucked into some pancakes covered in chocolate sauce, ice-cream and berries.

"I'll bet you wish you hadn't given up Divination now, don't you, Hermione?" asked Parvati, smirking.

It was a few days after the sacking of Professor Trelawney, and Parvati was curling her eyelashes around her wand and examining the effect in the back of her spoon. They were to have their first lesson with Firenze that morning.

"Not really," said Hermione indifferently, who was reading the _Daily Prophet_. "I've never really liked horses."

She turned a page of the newspaper, scanning its columns.  
"He's not a horse, he's a centaur!" said Lavender, sounding shocked.

"A _gorgeous_ centaur…" sighed Parvati.

"Either way, he's still got four legs," said Hermione coolly. "Anyway, I thought you two were all upset that Trelawney had gone?"

"We are!" Lavender assured her. "We went up to her office to see her, we took her some daffodils — not the honking ones that Sprout's got, nice ones…"

"How is she?" asked Harry.

"Not very good, poor thing," said Lavender sympathetically. "She was crying and saying she'd rather leave the castle forever than stay here if Umbridge is still here, and I don't blame her. Umbridge was horrible to her, wasn't she?"

"I've got a feeling Umbridge has only just started being horrible," said Hermione darkly.

"Impossible," said Ron, who was tucking into a large plate of eggs and bacon. "She can't get any worse than she's been already."

"You mark my words, she's going to want revenge on Dumbledore for appointing a new teacher without consulting her," said Hermione, closing the newspaper. "Especially another part-human. You saw the look on her face when she saw Firenze…"

"She's also going to be pissed Dumbledore still has authority over her. If she could be Headmistress she would be." Alicia added "She'll make another decree to help her with that just you watch."

After breakfast Hermione and Alicia departed for Arithmancy class and Harry and Ron followed Parvati and Lavender into the entrance hall, heading for Divination.

"Tell me everything!" Alicia demanded as she followed Hermione who reached back and pulled her with her. "I almost feel like I'm missing out on something. The centaurs have such a weird way of looking at things, remember?"

"It's still a useless subject."

"But it's still interesting to learn what others think Hermione." Alicia sighed at her.

They moved through Arithmancy and then matched off to their next class where Alicia waited.

"So?" she questioned immediately when Harry and Ron appeared.

"He's not very definite or set on anything." Ron admitted

"Was it a good lesson at least?" Alicia wondered

"Well his classroom has been turned into a forest and he basically said Trelawny's seeing might be right but wastes her time looking at the small things. He said we were in a calm between two wars and that it was to commence again soon but didn't elaborate which is annoying."

Alicia looked at the boy and rose an eyebrow. He noticed.

"What?" he asked

"Elaborate? Why would you need him to elaborate?" Alicia questioned

"What? You know there's a war coming?" Ron asked surprised.

"Oh Ron!" Hermione scolded clearly also as irritated as Alicia. Alicia had dropped her head at Ron's lack of understanding.

"Ron, why is Umbridge in the school?" she asked

"Because Fudge is a git." Ron returned

"And?"

"He thinks Dumbledore's building an army."

"Why does he think Dumbledore's doing that?

"Because he's making arrangements to fight You-Know-Who."

"Right and what does fighting usually lead to?" Alicia asked him.

Ron stared before his mouth dropped open.

"You mean he's talking about a war with You-Know-Who?"

"Are you kidding me?" Alicia complained in frustration, keeping her voice low. "Ron the calm between two wars, there was a war before when Voldemort was around and there'll be one again cause he's back."

"But Dumbledore's stopping him?"

"Dumbledore is _trying_ to stop him Ron, there's a difference and he's limited in his movements because of Fudge and his stupidity. I wouldn't be surprised if that caused a lot of problems in us winning at the beginning." Alicia said "I wouldn't be surprised if some war was going to break out because of it." she frowned. "We all know Voldemort isn't going to give up any time soon so, how else would we stop him?"

Ron looked pale at this. Alicia rolled her eyes.

"He also wanted me to give Hagrid a message." Harry said

"What?"

"The attempts not working, and he would do better to abandon it." Harry replayed and Hermione and Alicia stared at him.

"So what ever it is that's beating him up, he's attempting to work on it in some way…" Alicia sighed "And why he can't tell us about it I have no idea."

Harry didn't have a chance to tell Hagrid the message from Firenze. As March blurred into April and the excitement from _The Quibbler_ had long since died away and Umbridge was still inspecting Care of Magical Creatures lessons. He managed eventually by pretending he'd left his textbook but as he told Ron, Hermione and Alicia, it did not seem to do anything. Nor did Hagrid tell him what was going on.

Meanwhile, as the teachers and Hermione persisted in reminding them, the O.W.L.s were drawing ever nearer. All the fifth years were suffering from stress to some degree, but Hannah Abbott became the first to receive a Calming Draught from Madam Pomfrey after she burst into tears during Herbology and sobbed that she was too stupid to take exams and wanted to leave school now.

Life at Hogwarts would have been extremely unhappy if it had not been for the D.A. meetings. Everyone had progressed so far and Alicia and Harry had laughed about how Umbridge would react when the D.A. members all received outstanding in their Defence Against the Dart Arts O. .

They had finally started work on Patronuses, which everybody had been very keen to practice, though as Harry kept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom when they were not under threat was very different to producing it when confronted by something like a dementor.

"But it also gives you the chance to calm down and find that perfect memory to produce one." Alicia added more happily.

"Yeah Harry, don't be such a killjoy," said Cho brightly, watching her silvery swan-shaped Patronus soar around the Room of Requirement during their last lesson before Easter. "They're so pretty!"

"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you," said Harry patiently. "What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a dementor —"

"But that would be really scary!" said Lavender, who was shooting puffs of silver vapour out of the end of her wand. "And I still — can't — do it!" she added angrily.

"The only problem would be your memory isn't strong enough." Alicia said "They have to be happy but they also have to very powerful and strong, not just any memory." Alicia explained "Sometimes it doesn't even need to be a memory."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked

"Well, for example, it could be something, like a thought, an idea, a dream that makes you feel overwhelming happiness."

"What do you think about?" Lavender asked her

"My memory is when I found out I had a brother. I was no longer alone in the world, I actually had a family member." Alicia smiled as she turned to Harry "But that of course will be different for you all. And I have no doubt in my mind that I might find something happier some day. Perhaps a wedding day." she smiled and Lavender and Pavarti started giggling.

Neville was having trouble too. His face was screwed up in concentration, but only feeble wisps of silver smoke issued from his wand tip.

"You've got to think of something happy," Harry reminded him.

"I'm trying," said Neville miserably, who was trying so hard his round face was actually shining with sweat.

"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" yelled Seamus, who had been brought along to his first ever D.A. meeting by Dean. "Look — ah — it's gone… But it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"

"Hey progress is happy." Alicia said positively

Hermione's Patronus, a shining silver otter, was gambolling around her.

"They _are_ sort of nice, aren't they?" she said, looking at it fondly.

The door of the Room of Requirement opened and then closed again; Harry looked around to see who had entered, but there did not seem to be anybody there. It was a few moments before he realised that the people close to the door had fallen silent. Next thing they knew, something was tugging at Harry's robes somewhere near the knee. He looked down and saw, to his very great astonishment, Dobby the house-elf peering up at him from beneath his usual eight hats.

"Hi, Dobby!" he said. "What are you — what's wrong?" Alicia moved over to Harry worried all of a sudden and crouched beside the elf.

For the elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the D.A. closest to Harry had fallen silent now: Everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silver mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.

"Harry Potter, sir…" squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot, "Harry Potter, sir… Dobby has come to warn you… but the house-elves have been warned not to tell…"

He ran headfirst at the wall: Harry, who had some experience of Dobby's habits of self-punishment, made to seize him, but Dobby merely bounced off the stone, cushioned by his eight hats. Hermione and a few of the other girls let out squeaks of fear and sympathy.

"Don't let him hurt himself." Alicia said strongly

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.

"Harry Potter… she… she…"

Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist: Harry seized that too.

"Who's 'she,' Dobby?"

"Umbridge!" Alicia said instantly and many people looked worried around her. "She knows!" Alicia called very loudly to everyone.

"What about her?" Harry double checked "Dobby — she hasn't found out about this — about us — about the D.A.?"

He read the answer in the elf's stricken face. His hands held fast by Harry, the elf tried to kick himself and fell to the floor.

"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.

Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor. "Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"

Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"

They all pelted toward the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through; they could hear them sprinting along the corridors and hoped they had the sense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories. It was only ten to nine, if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer —

"Alicia, Harry, come on!" shrieked Hermione from the centre of the knot of people now fighting to get out.

Harry scooped up Dobby, who was still attempting to do himself serious injury, and ran with the elf in his arms to join the back of the queue.

"Dobby — this is an order — get back down to the kitchen with the other elves, and if she asks you whether you warned me, lie and say no!" said Harry. "And I forbid you to hurt yourself!" he added, dropping the elf as he made it over the threshold at last and slamming the door behind him.

"Thank you, Harry Potter!" squeaked Dobby, and he streaked off.

"Come on Harry!" Alicia demanded as he glanced left and right, the others were all moving so fast that he caught only glimpses of flying heels at either end of the corridor before they vanished.

"Now!" Alicia demanded taking his hand and the two started to run right.

"AAARGH!"

Harry's hand was wrenched from Alicia's and he was suddenly skidding along the floor and past her.

Someone behind him was laughing and Alicia turned around in time to flick her wand and block a jinx with the shielding charm. Malfoy was concealed in a niche beneath an ugly dragon-shaped vase.

"Trip Jinx, Potter!" he said. "Hey, Professor — PROFESSOR! I've got one!" Alicia looked horrified but before she could even think of helping Harry up, Umbridge came bustling around the far corner, breathless but wearing a delighted smile.

"It's him! Ah and Miss Evans! No surprise you'd be together." she said jubilantly at the sight of Harry on the floor. Alicia glared at her. "Excellent, Draco, excellent, oh, very good — fifty points to Slytherin! I'll take him from here… Stand up, Potter!"

Harry got to his feet, glaring at the pair of them. He had never seen Umbridge looking so happy. She seized his arm in a vicelike grip, did the same to Alicia and turned, beaming broadly, to Malfoy. "You hop along and see if you can round up anymore of them, Draco," she said. "Tell the others to look in the library — anybody out of breath — check the bathrooms, Miss Parkinson can do the girls' ones — off you go — and you," she added in her softest, most dangerous voice, as Malfoy walked away. "You two can come with me to the headmaster's office, Potter, Evans."

Alicia and Harry shared a look and both had the same feeling.a


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50:

They were at the stone gargoyle within minutes. Alicia just hoped the rest of them would be fine, if Ron was caught — Mrs. Weasley would kill him — and of how Hermione would feel if she was expelled before she could take her O.W.L.s. And it had been Seamus's very first meeting… and Neville had been getting so good…

"Fizzing Whizbee," sang Umbridge, and the stone gargoyle jumped aside, the wall behind split open, and they ascended the moving stone staircase. They reached the polished door with the griffin knocker, but Umbridge did not bother to knock, she strode straight inside, still holding tight to Harry and Alicia.

The office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, the tips of his long fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was rocking backward and forward on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation. Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizard neither Alicia or Harry recognised with very short, wiry hair were positioned on either side of the door like guards, and the freckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hovered excitedly beside the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes.

The portraits of old headmasters and mistresses were not shamming sleep tonight. All of them were watching what was happening below, alert and serious. As they entered, a few flitted into neighbouring frames and whispered urgently into their neighbours' ears.

Alicia wrenched her arm from Umbridge fiercely and Harry pulled himself free of Umbridge's grasp as the door swung shut behind them. Cornelius Fudge was glaring at him with a kind of vicious satisfaction upon his face.

"Well," he said. "Well, well, well…"

Harry replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. His heart drummed madly inside him, but his brain was oddly cool and clear. Alicia however looked at Dumbledore. Umbridge knew, but did Dumbledore? This could all go very badly.

"They were heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. There was an indecent excitement in her voice, the same callous pleasure Harry had heard as she watched Professor Trelawney dissolving with misery in the entrance hall. "The Malfoy boy cornered him."

"Did he, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Well, Potter, Evans—"

"Potter." Alicia corrected. "And you know that Minister, I would prefer if you addressed me properly, please, sir." Alicia interrupted, remembering to sound calm and somewhat respectful still.

Fudge didn't look happy either way. Although the last time Alicia had addressed him, he had been insulted by her.

He ignored her this time, though his face purpled slightly.

"I expect you know why you are here?" Harry opened his mouth as if to answer.

 _Don't._ Harry glanced at Alicia and she looked at Dumbledore who was staring at her. Harry did the same in time too see Dumbledore shake his head a tiny fraction to each side.

Harry changed direction mid-word.

"Yeh — no."

"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.

"No," said Harry, firmly.

"You _don't_ know why you are here?"

"No, we don't," said Harry and Alicia.

Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to Professor Umbridge.

Harry took advantage of his momentary inattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, who gave the carpet the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink.

"So you have no idea," said Fudge in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"

"School rules?" said Harry. "No."

"Which ones?" Alicia wondered adding a confused look to her face.

"Or Ministry decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.

"Not that I'm aware of," said Harry blandly. He looked at Alicia who shrugged and shook her head.

It was almost worth telling these lies to watch Fudge's blood pressure rising, but the point seemed meaningless. Someone had spilled the news and clearly the twins were the leaders, explosion was not far off.

Alicia had begun to do a headcount in her head, to find out who had been missing from the meeting and who could have spilled. Not only did she need to know when everything had been going to well, but it was keeping her calm as well.

"So it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thick with anger, "that an illegal student organisation has been discovered within this school?"

"Illegal organisation?" Alicia asked

"Yes, it is," said Harry, hoisting an unconvincing look of innocent surprise onto his face.

"I think, Minister," said Umbridge silkily from beside him, "we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."

"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.

Alicia finished her headcount and already she remembered who was missing. She looked to Harry and he looked at her, the eye contact was all she needed and she pushed the image of who she saw into Harry's head. He looked at her surprised, of course he wouldn't believe that. But it made sense. She'd never wanted to be there.

Alicia shrugged all the same.

There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobody looked at each other, then the door opened behind him. Umbridge moved past him into the room, gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't be scared, dear, don't be frightened," said Professor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking up at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office — she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to — galloping gargoyles!"

As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backward in shock, nearly landing himself in the fire. He cursed and stamped on the hem of his cloak, which had started to smoke, and Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of her robes right up to her eyes, but not before the whole room had seen that her face was horribly disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word "SNEAK."

Alicia smirked ever so slightly at Hermione's handiwork. It really was a neat bit of magic.

"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge impatiently, "just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister —"

But Marietta gave another muffled wail and shook her head frantically.

"Oh, very well, you silly girl, _I'll_ tell him," snapped Umbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back onto her face and said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately at that point this hex," she waved impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."

"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Marietta with what he evidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look. "It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

But Marietta would not speak. She merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Haven't we got a counterjinx for this?" Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly, and Harry felt a surge of pride in Hermione's jinxing ability. "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here.

"You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Evans and Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade —"

"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall.

"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired," said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word Potter and Evans said and hastened straight to the school to report to me —"

Alicia held back a scowl.

"Oh, so _that's_ why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets!" said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into our justice system!"

"Blatant corruption!" roared the portrait of the corpulent, red-nosed wizard on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk. "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"

"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," said Dumbledore softly.

"The purpose of Potter and Evans' meeting with these students," continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society, whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age —"

Alicia so wanted to interject and argue but she kept herself quiet, taking some deep breaths to keep herself calm. Harry was glancing at her as though sensing this.

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.

Harry stared at him. He could not see how Dumbledore was going to talk him out of this one; if Willy Widdershins had indeed heard every word he said in the Hog's Head there was simply no escaping it.

"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble! Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on — Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day?" Alicia rose an eyebrow "Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"

Percy Weasley let out a hearty laugh.

"Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"

Harry could have kicked him. Then he saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore was smiling gently too.

"Cornelius, I do not deny — and nor, I am sure, does Harry or Alicia — that they were in the Hog's Head that day, nor that they were trying to recruit students to a Defence Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that such a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."

Percy looked as though he had been struck in the face by something very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in mid-bounce, his mouth hanging open.

Alicia repressed her grin. That couldn't be put against them, but if there was evidence it had happened after the decree then they were in trouble.

Umbridge recovered first.

"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly six months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlocked fingers, "they certainly _would_ be, if they _had_ continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?"

As Dumbledore spoke, the twins heard a rustle behind him and rather thought Kingsley whispered something. Harry could have sworn too that he felt something brush against his side, a gentle something like a draft or bird wings, but looking down he saw nothing there. Alicia assumed Dumbledore and Kingsley were working something up for if this, when this, all went terribly wrong for them.

"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible wide toadlike smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"

"Oh, can she tell us about six months' worth of meetings?" said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."

"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last six months?"

Alicia huffed every so slightly so that Harry and Marietta were the only ones to hear her. If she did anything the spots would worsen and continue to do so as she spoke. Hermione would have made sure of that.

"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge said coaxingly to Marietta. "Come on, now, that won't activate the jinx further…" Everyone in the room was gazing at the top of Marietta's face. Only her eyes were visible between the pulled up robes and her curly fringe. Perhaps it was a trick of the firelight, but her eyes looked oddly blank. And then — to Harry's utter amazement — Marietta shook her head.

Alicia looked at Marietta for a second, confused by her sudden expression and change of attitude. But it clicked ever so quickly. Kingsley and his spell… had he confounded Marietta, or worse yet, used the imperious curse on her? She felt that might be taking it a bit far, but she knew he was responsible.

Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge and then back at Marietta.

"I don't think you understood the question, did you, dear? I'm asking whether you've been going to these meetings for the past six months? You have, haven't you?"

Again, Marietta shook her head.

"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" said Umbridge in a testy voice.

"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," said Professor McGonagall harshly. "There have been no secret meetings for the past six months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?"

Marietta nodded.

Harry looked at Alicia and she gave him a look to stop looking surprised. He tried to recompose his features.

"But there was a meeting tonight!" said Umbridge furiously. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter and Evans were the leaders, were they not, Potter and Evans organised it, Potter — _why are you shaking your head, girl_?"

"Well, usually when a person shakes their head," said McGonagall coldly, "they mean 'no.' So unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign language as yet unknown to humans —"

Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her around to face her, and began shaking her very hard. A split second later Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand raised. Kingsley started forward and Umbridge leapt back from Marietta, waving her hands in the air as though they had been burned.

"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," said Dumbledore, and for the first time, he looked angry.

"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley in his deep, slow voice. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble now."

"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing up at the towering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes — you're right, Shacklebolt — I — I forgot myself."

Alicia smirked just slightly.

Marietta was standing exactly where Umbridge had released her. She seemed neither perturbed by Umbridge's sudden attack, nor relieved by her release. She was still clutching her robe up to her oddly blank eyes, staring straight ahead of her. Alicia's thoughts were confirmed and Harry looked at her questioningly, through their connection she knew his question and nodded ever so slightly.

"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meeting tonight — the one we know definitely happened —"

"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes… well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain _trustworthy_ students, so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind… We needed evidence and the room provided…"

Alicia felt the blood drain from her face as she suddenly withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned upon the Room of Requirement's wall and handed it to Fudge.

"The moment I saw Potter and Evans' name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.

"Excellent," said Fudge, a smile spreading across his face. "Excellent, Dolores. And… by thunder…"

He looked up at Dumbledore, who was still standing beside Marietta, his wand held loosely in his hand.

"See what they've named themselves?" said Fudge quietly. " _Dumbledore's Army_."

Dumbledore reached out and took the piece of parchment from Fudge. He gazed at the heading scribbled by Hermione months before and for a moment seemed unable to speak.

Alicia instantly came to the conclusion he had not thought it would get to this. He hadn't known what they'd called themselves and instantly she believed it was a wrong idea. Because she knew Dumbledore and he'd protect them all to the very end, and if that meant taking the blame. He'd do it.

As if to confirm her thoughts, Dumbledore looked up, smiling.

"Well, the game is up," he said simply. "Would you like a written confession from me, Cornelius — or will a statement before these witnesses suffice?"

Harry saw McGonagall and Kingsley look at each other. There was fear in both faces.

"Hang on—" Alicia started instantly but she was cut off as Dumbledore shot her a look.

She knew that the headmaster could look after himself better than Harry and Alicia could, if they were expelled they'd be out in the open for Voldemort, without the use of magic, or even the likely hood of having their wands to protect them. Dumbledore of the other hand… It did make more sense but with Dumbledore on the run, Umbridge would have full rein of the castle and would that benefit the order for Dumbledore to be just as much in hiding?

She couldn't decide what to do, whether she should disagree or leave it.

"Statement?" said Fudge slowly. "What — I don't — ?"

"Dumbledore's Army, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, still smiling as he waved the list of names before Fudge's face. "Not Potter's Army. _Dumbledore's Arm_ y."

"But — but —"

Understanding blazed suddenly in Fudge's face. He took a horrified step backward, yelped, and jumped out of the fire again.

"You?" he whispered, stamping again on his smouldering cloak.

"That's right," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"You organised this?"

"I did," said Dumbledore.

"You recruited these students for — for your army?"

"Tonight was supposed to be the first meeting," said Dumbledore, nodding. "Merely to see whether they would be interested in joining me. I see now that it was a mistake to invite Miss Edgecombe, of course."

Marietta nodded. Fudge looked from her to Dumbledore, his chest swelling.

"Then you _have_ been plotting against me!" he yelled.

"That's right," said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"NO!" shouted Harry.

Kingsley flashed a look of warning at him, McGonagall widened her eyes threateningly. It seemed Harry now understood as well.

"No — Professor Dumbledore!"

"Be quiet, Harry, or I am afraid you will have to leave my office," said Dumbledore calmly.

"Yes, shut up, Potter!" barked Fudge, who was still ogling Dumbledore with a kind of horrified delight. Harry looked at Alicia but she couldn't bring herself to speak after even Kingsley had reacted against Harry's outburst. Perhaps Dumbledore did have a plan. "Well, well, well — I came here tonight expecting to expel Potter and Evans and instead —"

"Instead you get to arrest me," said Dumbledore, smiling. "It's like losing a Knut and finding a Galleon, isn't it?"

"Weasley!" cried Fudge, now positively quivering with delight, "Weasley, have you written it all down, everything he's said, his confession, have you got it?"

"Yes, sir, I think so, sir!" said Percy eagerly, whose nose was splattered with ink from the speed of his note-taking.

"The bit about how he's been trying to build up an army against the Ministry, how he's been working to destabilise me?"

"Yes, sir, I've got it, yes!" said Percy, scanning his notes joyfully.

"Very well, then," said Fudge, now radiant with glee. "Duplicate your notes, Weasley, and send a copy to the _Daily Prophet_ at once. If we send a fast owl we should make the morning edition!" Percy dashed from the room, slamming the door behind him, and Fudge turned back to Dumbledore. "You will now be escorted back to the Ministry, where you will be formally charged and then sent to Azkaban to await trial!"

"Ah," said Dumbledore gently, "yes. Yes, I thought we might hit that little snag."

"Snag?" said Fudge, his voice still vibrating with joy. "I see no snag, Dumbledore!"

"Well," said Dumbledore apologetically, "I'm afraid I do."

"Oh really?"

"Well — it's just that you seem to be labouring under the delusion that I am going to — what is the phrase? 'Come quietly' I am afraid I am not going to come quietly at all, Cornelius. I have absolutely no intention of being sent to Azkaban. I could break out, of course — but what a waste of time, and frankly, I can think of a whole host of things I would rather be doing."

Alicia couldn't blame the headmaster for his modesty and she smiled slightly despite the fact that Dumbledore was about to leave Hogwarts in the hands of the Ministry.

Umbridge's face was growing steadily redder, she looked as though she was being filled with boiling water. Fudge stared at Dumbledore with a very silly expression on his face, as though he had just been stunned by a sudden blow and could not quite believe it had happened. He made a small choking noise and then looked around at Kingsley and the man with short grey hair, who alone of everyone in the room had remained entirely silent so far. The latter gave Fudge a reassuring nod and moved forward a little, away from the wall. Harry saw his hand drift, almost casually, toward his pocket.

"Don't be silly, Dawlish," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'm sure you are an excellent Auror, I seem to remember that you achieved 'Outstanding' in all your N.E.W.T.s, but if you attempt to — er — 'bring me in' by force, I will have to hurt you."

The man called Dawlish blinked, looking rather foolish. He looked toward Fudge again, but this time seemed to be hoping for a clue as to what to do next.

"So," sneered Fudge, recovering himself, "you intend to take on Dawlish, Shacklebolt, Dolores, and myself single-handed, do you, Dumbledore?"

"Merlin's beard, no," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Not unless you are foolish enough to force me to."

"He will not be single-handed!" said Professor McGonagall loudly, plunging her hand inside her robes.

"Oh yes he will, Minerva!" said Dumbledore sharply. "Hogwarts needs you!"

"Enough of this rubbish!" said Fudge, pulling out his own wand. "Dawlish! Shacklebolt! _Take him_!"

A streak of silver light flashed around the room. There was a bang like a gunshot, and the floor trembled. A hand grabbed the scruff of Harry's neck and forced them down on the floor while Alicia dived for the floor herself as a second silver flash went off — several of the portraits yelled, Fawkes screeched, and a cloud of dust filled the air. Coughing in the dust, Harry saw a dark figure fall to the ground with a crash in front of him. There was a shriek and a thud and somebody cried, "No!" Then the sound of breaking glass, frantically scuffling footsteps, a groan — and silence.

Alicia looked up instantly and couched slightly from the dust as Harry did the same from beside her. She glanced at him to find him beside Professor McGonagall who had forced him and Marietta to the floor.

Looking back through the dust she saw something very tall through the dust moving towards them and knew it was Dumbledore before he spoke. She got to her feet instantly.

"Are you all right?" said Dumbledore.

"Yes!" said Professor McGonagall, getting up and dragging Harry and Marietta with her.

The dust was clearing. The wreckage of the office loomed into view: Dumbledore's desk had been overturned, all of the spindly tables had been knocked to the floor, their silver instruments in pieces. Fudge, Umbridge, Kingsley, and Dawlish lay motionless on the floor. Fawkes the phoenix soared in wide circles above them, singing softly.

"Unfortunately, I had to hex Kingsley too, or it would have looked very suspicious," said Dumbledore in a low voice. "He was remarkably quick on the uptake, modifying Miss Edgecombe's memory like that while everyone was looking the other way — thank him for me, won't you, Minerva?"

"Oh, I thought he confounded her." Alicia mumbled, annoyed she'd gotten that wrong.

"Now, they will all awake very soon and it will be best if they do not know that we had time to communicate — you must act as though no time has passed, as though they were merely knocked to the ground, they will not remember —"

"Where will you go, Dumbledore?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Grimmauld Place?"

"Oh no," said Dumbledore with a grim smile. "I am not leaving to go into hiding. Fudge will soon wish he'd never dislodged me from Hogwarts, I promise you…"

"Professor Dumbledore…" Harry began. But he stopped as though he didn't know what to say.

"We're really sorry but we couldn't just sit and do nothing and I don't want you to take the blame but it's probably better and I know things'll be fine but please forgive us, we would have told you about it but you've been distant and all—" Alicia rambled very quickly to get everything out as she could before Dumbledore silenced her with a raise of his hand.

She was okay to do so, having apologised.

"Listen to me, Harry," he said urgently, "you must study Occlumency as hard as you can, do you understand me? Do everything Professor Snape tells you and practice it particularly every night before sleeping so that you can close your mind to bad dreams — you will understand why soon enough, but you must promise me —"

The man called Dawlish was stirring. Dumbledore seized Harry's wrist.

"Remember — close your mind —"

Alicia felt the hot like pain shoot through her neck and she instantly took Harry's hand, feeling the anger and desire rise in Harry all of a sudden and the man's touch.

"— you will understand," whispered Dumbledore.

"Yes." Alicia mumbled

"You as well Alicia, you mustn't allow him to possibly influence you." Dumbledore said quickly.

Fawkes circled the office and swooped low over him. Dumbledore released Harry, raised his hand, and grasped the phoenix's long golden tail. There was a flash of fire and the pair of them had gone.

"Where is he?" yelled Fudge, pushing himself up from the ground. " _Where is he_?"

"I don't know!" shouted Kingsley, also leaping to his feet.

"Well, he can't have Disapparated!" cried Umbridge. "You can't inside this school —"

"The stairs!" cried Dawlish, and he flung himself upon the door, wrenched it open, and disappeared, followed closely by Kingsley and Umbridge. Fudge hesitated, then got to his feet slowly, brushing dust from his front. There was a long and painful silence.

"Well, Minerva," said Fudge nastily, straightening his torn shirt- sleeve, "I'm afraid this is the end of your friend Dumbledore."

"You think so, do you?" said Professor McGonagall scornfully.

Fudge seemed not to hear her. He was looking around at the wrecked office. A few of the portraits hissed at him; one or two even made rude hand gestures.

"You'd better get those three off to bed," said Fudge, looking back at Professor McGonagall with a dismissive nod toward Harry, Alicia and Marietta.

She said nothing, but marched Alicia, Harry and Marietta to the door. As it swung closed behind them, Harry heard Phineas Nigellus's voice.

"You know, Minister, I disagree with Dumbledore on many counts… but you cannot deny he's got style…"


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51:

 _— BY ORDER OF —_

 _The Ministry of Magic_

 _Dolores Jane Umbridge (High Inquisitor) has replaced Albus Dumbledore as Head of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

 _The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-eight._

 _Signed:_

 _Cornelius Oswald Fudge_

 _MINISTER OF MAGIC_

The notices had gone up all over the school overnight, but they did not explain how every single person within the castle seemed to know that Dumbledore had overcome two Aurors, the High Inquisitor, the Minister of Magic, and his Junior Assistant to escape. No matter where the twins went within the castle next day, the sole topic of conversation was Dumbledore's flight, and though some of the details might have gone awry in the retelling (Harry overheard one second-year girl assuring another that Fudge was now lying in St. Mungo's with a pumpkin for a head), it was surprising how accurate the rest of their information was. Everybody seemed aware, for instance, that Alicia, Harry and Marietta were the only students to have witnessed the scene in Dumbledore's office, and as Marietta was now in the hospital wing, Harry and Alicia found themselves besieged with requests to give a firsthand account wherever they went.

"Dumbledore will be back before long," said Ernie Macmillan confidently on the way back from Herbology after listening intently to Harry's story. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me…" He dropped his voice conspiratorially, so that Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had to lean closer to him to hear, "… that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her." Ernie smirked. "Apparently she had a right little tantrum…"

Alicia laughed.

"Oh, I expect she really fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office," said Hermione viciously, as they walked up the stone steps into the entrance hall. "Lording it over all the other teachers, the stupid puffed-up, power-crazy old —"

"Now, do you _really_ want to finish that sentence, Granger?"

Draco Malfoy had slid out from behind the door, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. His pale, pointed face was alight with malice.

"God, hiding like a coward Malfoy?" Alicia sighed, she couldn't be bothered dealing with him.

"Afraid I'm going to have to dock a few points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff," he drawled.

"It's only teachers that can dock points from Houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once.

"Yeah, we're prefects too, remember?" snarled Ron.

"I know _prefects_ can't dock points, Weasel King," sneered Malfoy; Crabbe and Goyle sniggered. "But members of the Inquisitorial Squad —"

"The what?" said Hermione sharply.

"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger," said Malfoy, pointing toward a tiny silver I upon his robes just beneath his prefect's badge. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points… So, Granger, I'll have five from you for being rude about our new headmistress… Macmillan, five for contradicting me… Five because I don't like you, Potter… Five for you Evans for calling me a coward… ("you are" Alicia mouthed) Weasley, your shirt's untucked, so I'll have another five for that… Oh yeah, I forgot, you're a Mudblood, Granger, so ten for that…"

Ron pulled out his wand, but Hermione pushed it away, whispering, "Don't!"

"Wise move, Granger," breathed Malfoy. "New Head, new times… Be good now, Potty… Weasel King…"

He strode away, laughing heartily with Crabbe and Goyle.

"He was bluffing," said Ernie, looking appalled. "He can't be allowed to dock points… that would be ridiculous… It would completely undermine the prefect system…"

But Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had turned automatically toward the giant hourglasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the House points. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw had been neck and neck in the lead that morning. Even as they watched, stones flew upward, reducing the amounts in the lower bulbs. In fact, the only glass that seemed unchanged was the emerald-filled one of Slytherin.

"Noticed, have you?" said Fred's voice.

He and George had just come down the marble staircase and joined Harry, Alicia, Ron, Hermione, and Ernie in front of the hourglasses.

"Malfoy just docked us all about fifty points," said Harry furiously, as they watched several more stones fly upward from the Gryffindor hourglass.

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George.

"What do you mean, 'tried'?" said Ron quickly.

"He never managed to get all the words out," said Fred, "due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor." Alicia patted his head and he pulled her into his side, giving her a one armed hug grinning.

Hermione looked very shocked.

"But you'll get into terrible trouble!"

"Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," said Fred coolly. "Anyway… we've decided we don't care about getting into trouble anymore."

"Have you ever?" asked Hermione.

" 'Course we have," said George. "Never been expelled, have we?"

"We've always known where to draw the line," said Fred.

"We might have put a toe across it occasionally," said George.

"But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," said Fred.

"But now?" said Ron tentatively.

"Well, now —" said George.

"— what with Dumbledore gone —" said Fred.

"— we reckon a bit of mayhem —" said George.

"— is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," said Fred.

"You going to harm her or just seriously mess with her?" Alicia wondered

"Seriously mess." Fred assured

"Well if she accidentally gets harmed in the process…" George added smirking slightly

"You mustn't!" whispered Hermione. "You really mustn't! She'd love a reason to expel you!"

"You don't get it, Hermione, do you?" said Fred, smiling at her.

"We don't care about staying anymore. We'd walk out right now if we weren't determined to do our bit for Dumbledore first. So anyway," he checked his watch, "phase one is about to begin. I'd get in the Great Hall for lunch if I were you, that way the teachers will see you can't have had anything to do with it."

"Anything to do with what?" said Hermione anxiously.

"You'll see," said George. "Run along, now."

"Oh please tell me!" Alicia pleaded to Fred wrapping her arms around his waist, much to the surprise of Ron and Harry.

"Patients." Fred smirked

"Come on on you know I've never been good at that." Alicia said simply. She looked at them expectantly but George put a hand on Fred's shoulder to stop him when he just looked like contemplating telling her.

She sighed and released him.

"Fine. But if I can help you let me." she demanded. The twins grinned and both nudged her, Fred patting her head in return for her doing it and disappeared into the swelling crowd descending the stairs toward lunch. Looking highly disconcerted, Ernie muttered something about unfinished Transfiguration homework and scurried away.

"I think we _should_ get out of here, you know," said Hermione nervously. "Just in case…"

"Yeah, all right," said Ron, and the three of them moved toward the doors to the Great Hall.

"Alicia what's going on with you and Fred?" Ron demanded

"As of now? Nothing much." she responded

"What does that mean?" he asked. But Alicia didn't get a chance to answer as somebody tapped both her and Harry on the shoulder and, turning, they found themselves almost nose to nose with Filch, the caretaker. He took several hasty steps backward; Filch was best viewed at a distance.

"The headmistress would like to see you, Potter, Evans," he leered.

"I didn't do it," said Harry stupidly, thinking of whatever Fred and George were planning. Filch's jowls wobbled with silent laughter.

"Guilty conscience, eh?" he wheezed. "Follow me…"

The twins shared a look before they glanced back at Ron and Hermione, who were both looking worried. He shrugged as Alicia moved off after Filch and Harry followed her back into the Entrance Hall, against the tide of hungry students.

Filch seemed to be in an extremely good mood; he hummed creakily under his breath as they climbed the marble staircase. As they reached the first landing he said, "Things are changing around here, Potter."

"I've noticed," said Harry coldly.

"Yerse… I've been telling Dumbledore for years and years he's too soft with you all," said Filch, chuckling nastily. "You filthy little beasts would never have dropped Stinkpellets if you'd known I had it in my power to whip you raw, would you, now? Nobody would have thought of throwing Fanged Frisbees down the corridors if I could've strung you up by the ankles in my office, would they? But when Educational Decree Twenty-nine comes in, Potter, I'll be allowed to do them things… _And_ she's asked the Minister to sign an order for the expulsion of Peeves… Oh, things are going to be very different around here with _her_ in charge…"

Harry looked at Alicia and she pulled a face. He had to restrain from laughing.

Umbridge had obviously gone to some lengths to get Filch on her side, and the worst of it was that he would probably prove an important weapon; his knowledge of the school's secret passageways and hiding places was probably second only to the Weasley twins.

"Here we are," he said, leering down at Harry as he rapped three times upon Professor Umbridge's door and pushed it open. "The Potter boy and Evans girl to see you, ma'am."

Umbridge's office, so very familiar to Harry and Alicia from their many detentions, was the same as usual except for the large wooden block lying across the front of her desk on which golden letters spelled the word HEADMISTRESS; also Harry's Firebolt, and Fred's and George's Cleansweeps, were now chained and padlocked to a stout iron peg in the wall behind the desk. Umbridge was sitting behind the desk, busily scribbling upon some of her pink parchment, but looked up and smiled widely at their entrance.

"Thank you, Argus," she said sweetly.

"Not at all, ma'am, not at all," said Filch, bowing as low as his rheumatism would permit, and exiting backward.

"Sit," said Umbridge curtly, pointing toward a chair, and Harry and Alicia sat. She continued to scribble for a few moments. He watched some of the foul kittens gambolling around the plates over her head, wondering what fresh horror she had in store for him while Alicia took a glance at what she was doing.

"Well now," she said finally, setting down her quill and looking like a toad about to swallow a particularly juicy fly. "What would you like to drink?"

"What?" said Harry, quite sure he had misheard her.

"No." Alicia answered.

"To drink, Mr. Potter," she said, smiling still more widely. "Tea? Coffee? Pumpkin juice?"

As she named each drink, she gave her short wand a wave, and a cup or glass of it appeared upon her desk.

"Nothing, thank you," said Harry.

"I wish you both to have a drink with me," she said, her voice becoming more dangerously sweet. "Choose one."

"Fine… tea then," said Harry, shrugging. Umbridge looked at Alicia and she realised a breath.

"Tea please." she agreed.

She got up and made quite a performance of adding milk with her back to him. Alicia instantly didn't trust her. She knew better than anyone what could be put in a drink and if Umbridge wanted something…

The women bustled around the desk with it, smiling in sinisterly sweet fashion.

"There," she said, handing it to him. "Drink it before it gets cold, won't you? Well, now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans… I thought we ought to have a little chat, after the distressing events of last night."

He said nothing. She settled herself back into her seat and waited. When several long moments had passed in silence, she said gaily, "You're not drinking up!"

He raised the cup to his lips.

 _Don't drink it!_ Alicia demanded and Harry looked at her. She raised the tea and smelled it carefully, looking as though she was drinking and instantly her nose smelled very much like…

 _Veritaserum._ Umbridge had put the truth cerium into their drinks. Harry looked from Alicia to his drink and lowered it as the girl glared at Umbridge.

"What's the matter?" said Umbridge, who was still watching them. "Do you want sugar?"

"No," said Harry. He looked at Alicia and she watched him as he raised the cup to his lips again and pretended to take a sip, though keeping his mouth tightly closed.

The toad women smiled and turned to Alicia, she copied her brother's actions and made sure not to let a single drop enter her mouth.

Umbridge's smile widened. "Good," she whispered. "Very good. Now then…" She leaned forward a little. " _Where is Albus Dumbledore_?"  
"No idea," said Harry promptly.

"How on earth would we know?" Alicia asked confused by the question.

"Drink up, drink up," she said, still smiling. "Now, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans, let us not play childish games. I know that you know where he has gone. You and Dumbledore have been in this together from the beginning. Consider your position, Mr. Potter…"

"I don't know where he is."

Harry pretended to drink again.

"Professor, I can understand why you'd possibly think that, but Professor Dumbledore is a very smart man, wouldn't he suspect you to ask us? Of course he wouldn't tell us that? And why would he trust two miscreant fifteen year olds?" Alicia wondered. Umbridge watched her as she took another sip and glanced at her cup. Some of it's contents vanished at her sight and she lowered it.

"Very well," said Umbridge, looking displeased. "In that case, you will kindly tell me the whereabouts of Sirius Black."

Harry's hand holding the teacup shook so that the cup rattled in its saucer. He tilted the cup to his mouth with his lips pressed together, so that some of the hot liquid trickled down onto his robes.

"I'm sorry?" Alicia asked, she'd been too surprised to move.

"I don't know," Harry said a little too quickly.

"Mr. Potter," said Umbridge, "let me remind you that it was I who almost caught the criminal Black in the Gryffindor fire in October. I know perfectly well it was you he was meeting and if I had had any proof neither of you would be at large today, I promise you. I repeat, Mr. Potter… Where is Sirius Black?"

"No idea," said Harry loudly. "Haven't got a clue."

"Sirius Black was in the Gryffindor fireplace?!" Alicia asked her eyes wide. She was so surprised at Umbridge asking such a question that it was so easy to fix the expression.

They stared at each other so long that Harry felt his eyes watering. Then she stood up.

"Very well, Potter, I will take your word for it this time, but be warned: The might of the Ministry stands behind me. All channels of communication in and out of this school are being monitored. A Floo Network Regulator is keeping watch over every fire in Hogwarts — except my own, of course. My Inquisitorial Squad is opening and reading all owl post entering and leaving the castle. And Mr. Filch is observing all secret passages in and out of the castle. If I find a shred of evidence…"

 _BOOM!_

The very floor of the office shook; Umbridge slipped sideways, clutching her desk for support, looking shocked.

"What was — ?"

She was gazing toward the door; Harry took the opportunity to empty his almost full cup of tea into the nearest vase of dried flowers while Alicia used the vanishing spell. They could hear people running and screaming several floors below.

"Back to lunch with you, Potter!" cried Umbridge, raising her wand and dashing out of the office. Harry gave her a few seconds' start then he and Alicia hurried after her to see what the source of all the uproar was.

"I hate her! She made us miss it!" Alicia complained. "And how dare she try to trick us with Veritaserum!"

Harry said nothing as they ran.

It was not difficult to find. One floor down, pandemonium reigned. Somebody (and both twins had a very shrewd idea who) had set off what seemed to be an enormous crate of enchanted fireworks.

Dragons comprised entirely of green-and-gold sparks were soaring up and down the corridors, emitting loud fiery blasts and bangs as they went. Shocking-pink Catherine wheels five feet in diameter were whizzing lethally through the air like so many flying saucers. Rockets with long tails of brilliant silver stars were ricocheting off the walls. Sparklers were writing swearwords in midair of their own accord. Firecrackers were exploding like mines everywhere Harry looked, and instead of burning themselves out, fading from sight, or fizzling to a halt, these pyrotechnical miracles seemed to be gaining in energy and momentum the longer he watched.

Filch and Umbridge were standing, apparently transfixed with horror, halfway down the stairs. As Harry watched, one of the larger Catherine wheels seemed to decide that what it needed was more room to manoeuvre; it whirled toward Umbridge and Filch with a sinister wheeeeeeeeee. Both adults yelled with fright and ducked and it soared straight out of the window behind them and off across the grounds. Meanwhile, several of the dragons and a large purple bat that was smoking ominously took advantage of the open door at the end of the corridor to escape toward the second floor.

"Hurry, Filch, hurry!" shrieked Umbridge. "They'll be all over the school unless we do something — _Stupefy_!"

A jet of red light shot out of the end of her wand and hit one of the rockets. Instead of freezing in midair, it exploded with such force that it blasted a hole in a painting of a soppy-looking witch in the middle of a meadow — she ran for it just in time, reappearing seconds later squashed into the painting next door, where a couple of wizards playing cards stood up hastily to make room for her.

"Don't Stun them, Filch!" shouted Umbridge angrily, for all the world as though it had been his suggestion.

"Right you are, Headmistress!" wheezed Filch, who was a Squib and could no more have Stunned the fireworks than swallowed them. He dashed to a nearby cupboard, pulled out a broom, and began swatting at the fireworks in midair; within seconds the head of the broom was ablaze.

Alicia had bursted out laughing with Harry. If it wasn't for him, she'd have stood there forever laughing but he grabbed her hand and, still laughing, he ducked down low, ran to a door he knew was concealed behind a tapestry a little way along the corridor and slipped through it, pulling Alicia, to find Fred and George hiding just behind it, listening to Umbridge's and Filch's yells and quaking with suppressed mirth.

Alicia covered her mouth to try and keep quiet, as to not give them away.

"Impressive," Harry said quietly, grinning. "Very impressive… You'll put Dr. Filibuster out of business, no problem…"

"Cheers," whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next… They multiply by ten every time you try…"

"You two are genius'." Alicia decided still snickering.

"Oh? Do we earn a prize for that?" Fred grinned

"What you want?" Alicia offered through her laughs.

"Fred can have mine." George smirked. Alicia leaned forwards, crawling past Harry, and Harry gapped, his mouth wide open, as she suddenly kissed Fred.

"That'll work." Fred grinned, when they stopped "Do I get one every time?"

"Depends how good they are." she grinned before she started laughing again.

The fireworks continued to burn and to spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, particularly the firecrackers, the other teachers did not seem to mind them very much.

"Dear, dear," said Professor McGonagall sardonically, as one of the dragons soared around her classroom, emitting loud bangs and exhaling flame. "Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?"

The upshot of it all was that Professor Umbridge spent her first afternoon as headmistress running all over the school answering the summonses of the other teachers, none of whom seemed able to rid their rooms of the fireworks without her. When the final bell rang and the students were heading back to Gryffindor Tower with their bags, Harry saw, with immense satisfaction, a disheveled and soot-blackened Umbridge tottering sweaty-faced from Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the _authority_ …"

Beaming, he closed his classroom door in her snarling face.

Fred and George were heroes that night in the Gryffindor common room. Even Hermione fought her way through the excited crowd around them to congratulate them.

"They were wonderful fireworks," she said admiringly.

"Thanks," said George, looking both surprised and pleased. "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs. Only thing is, we used our whole stock, we're going to have to start again from scratch now…"

"It was worth it, though," said Fred, who was taking orders from clamouring Gryffindors while holding Alicia's hand. They hadn't parted since he'd sat beside her at dinner, though she was having so much fun with their ideas and creations no one seemed surprised. "If you want to add your name to the waiting list, Hermione, it's five Galleons for your Basic Blaze box and twenty for the Deflagration Deluxe…"

Hermione returned to the table where Harry and Ron were sitting staring at their schoolbags as though hoping their homework might spring out of it and start doing itself.

"Oh, why don't we have a night off?" said Hermione brightly, as a silver-tailed Weasley rocket zoomed past the window. "After all, the Easter holidays start on Friday, we'll have plenty of time then…"

"Are you feeling all right?" Ron asked, staring at her in disbelief.

"Now you mention it," said Hermione happily, "d'you know… I think I'm feeling a bit… _rebellious_."

"What's going on with Fred and Alicia?" Ron managed to ask after he got over the shock of Hermione's actions.

"She kissed him." Harry responded

"WHAT!?" Ron shouted, surprising everyone.

"She did?" Hermione asked surprised and Harry nodded. "That happened sooner than I thought."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked

"Oh come on, as if you didn't notice." Hermione said and she sighed at the two's look.

Alicia was very happy when she climbed into bed, but also extremely exhausted. She fell asleep still hearing the distant bangs of the escaped fireworks all over the castle.

And then, despite her clearing her head and emotions to calm down, she was within the corridor.

She moved along the corridor, and felt the desire for the door to open, moving through it when it did again. There was a circular room on the other side, the walls lined with doors. She moved across the room and placed her hand upon an identical door, and it swung inward…

Now she was in a long, rectangular room full of an odd, mechanical clicking. There were dancing flecks of light on the walls but she continue on…

There was a door at the far end… It too opened at a touch…

She was in a dimly lit room as high and wide as a church, full of nothing but rows and rows of towering shelves, each laden with small, dusty, spun-glass spheres… The spheres confused Alicia, for her, as herself, didn't understand what these were, or what they meant. Despite this she was moving again, running forward… There was something in this room she wanted very, very much. No not her, somebody else wanted…

She could feel the pain in her neck before the entire thing suddenly faded away as a giant BANG! outside woke her up. Lavender and Pavarti were by the window as another firework was clearly outside catching attentions. Alicia could hear others from other dormitories awake and also observing the fireworks.

She simply lay there after scratching her neck and began to clear her mind. They had another Occlumency lesson tomorrow and she had to clear her head from entering Harry's mind who was clearly entering Voldemort's again or Snape would ruin the end of her day. She took a breath and began to clear her mind before she was able to drift off to sleep again, this time without any corridor intruding it.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52:

Harry had asked Alicia whether she'd had his dream last night and she'd confessed she had. But had instantly taken Snape's steps after they'd woken up.

"Aren't you curious?" Harry asked

"I am, but after last night, a little less so."

"Why? We haven't seen the weapon!" Harry believed. Alicia hesitated.

"Well, we both felt the desire, what ever was in that last room is what he wants. Harry do you remember the room?" she asked

"It was filled with Spheres." he answered

"And?"

"That was it."

"Right, so do you think there'd be some weird weapon in there? I'm pretty sure what ever he wanted was in that room. Could it not be one of those spheres?" Alicia asked looking at him, thinking it over in her mind as she spoke. It was the only conclusion she could come to.

"What kind of weapon is a sphere?" he questioned

"Depends what they are, I doubt their shelf ornaments if they're in the Department of Mysteries. I mean they've got to be important to some extent, the question just is what are they? What ever they are, Voldemort wants one, and apparently a specific one too." Harry looked at Alicia and she could feel the slight disappointment coming from him.

Neither of them told Ron or Hermione about what they'd seen, Ron would get disappointed like Harry and ask a heap of questions while Hermione would not be impressed, which neither twin wanted to bother dealing with.

It seemed Harry was trying to empty his mind as a last minute practice towards the end of the day, but Hermione continued to interrupt him, asking what was wrong and why he was so quiet.

"Hermione, we have an Occlumency lesson tonight, you want to keep interrupting him while he's trying to clear his mind?" Alicia asked annoyed. Hermione looked guilty instantly and apologised before falling silent when Alicia gave her a look.

Harry seemed to be delaying going down to Snape's dungeon and Alicia waited for him to have no other excuse in his delay before they made their way towards Snape's office after dinner.

Halfway across the entrance hall, however, Cho came hurrying up to him.

"Over here," said Harry and he gave Alicia a look who sighed. She waited as they moved over to where the giant Hourglasses stood, Gryffindors was now almost empty.

"Are you okay? Umbridge hasn't been asking you about the D.A., has she?"

"Oh no," said Cho hurriedly. "No, it was only… Well, I just wanted to say… Harry, I never dreamed Marietta would tell…"

"Yeah, well," said Harry moodily.

"She's a lovely person really," said Cho. "She just made a mistake —"

" _A lovely person who made a mistake_? She sold us all out, including you!"

"Well… we all got away, didn't we?" said Cho pleadingly. "You know, her mum works for the Ministry, it's really difficult for her —"

"Ron's dad works for the Ministry too!" Harry said furiously. "And in case you hadn't noticed, he hasn't got 'sneak' written across _his_ face —"

"That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger's," said Cho fiercely. "She should have told us she'd jinxed that list —"

"I think it was a brilliant idea," said Harry coldly. Cho flushed and her eyes grew brighter.

"Oh yes, I forgot — of course, if it was darling _Hermione's_ idea —"

"Don't start crying again," said Harry warningly.

"I wasn't going to!" she shouted.

"Yeah… well… good," he said. "I've got enough to cope with at the moment."

"Go and cope with it then!" she said furiously, turning on her heel and stalking off.

Harry moved over to Alicia.

"You know, remember how Umbridge put Veritaserum in our tea? She could have done something similar to Marietta." Alicia said simply as she watched Cho leave.

"I don't need to feel guilty." Harry snapped at her

"Not guilt. If she's going to be stupid and get jealous over Hermione every time she's mentioned then that's her fault." Alicia turned for Snape's office and Harry, fuming, began to follow her.

Alicia could feel Harry's anger and knew tonight was not going to go very well.

"You're late, Potter," said Snape coldly, as Harry closed the door behind him and Alicia.

Snape was standing with his back to Harry, removing, as usual, certain thoughts and placing them carefully in Dumbledore's Pensieve. He dropped the last silvery strand into the stone basin and turned to face Harry.

"So," he said. "Have you been practicing?"

"Yes," Harry lied, looking carefully at one of the legs of Snape's desk.

"Well, we'll soon find out, won't we?" said Snape smoothly. As usual he didn't bother to ask Alicia. He did his best to still ignore her even within these lessons. She didn't bother about it. She'd been getting better while Harry hadn't. "Wand out, Potter."

Harry moved into his usual position, facing Snape with the desk between them.

"On the count of three then," said Snape lazily. "One — two —" Snape's office door banged open and Draco Malfoy sped in.

"Professor Snape, sir — oh — sorry —"

Malfoy was looking at Snape and Harry in some surprise.

"It's all right, Draco," said Snape, lowering his wand. "Potter is here for a little Remedial Potions while Evans is having extra credit."

Harry had not seen Malfoy look so gleeful since Umbridge had turned up to inspect Hagrid.

"I didn't know," he said, leering at Harry, who knew his face was burning. He would have given a great deal to be able to shout the truth at Malfoy — or, even better, to hit him with a good curse. Alicia shot Harry a look and he caught it.

"Well, Draco, what is it?" asked Snape.

"It's Professor Umbridge, sir — she needs your help," said Malfoy. "They've found Montague, sir. He's turned up jammed inside a toilet on the fourth floor."

"How did he get in there?" demanded Snape.

"I don't know, sir, he's a bit confused…" Alicia was trying her best not to laugh

"Very well, very well — Potter, Evans," said Snape, "we shall resume this lesson tomorrow evening instead."

He turned and swept from his office. Malfoy mouthed " _Remedial Potions_?" at Harry behind Snape's back before following him.

Alicia bursted out laughing.

"A toilet!" she managed to get out.

Harry it seemed didn't find it funny, he was still angry and was pocketing his wand before turning for the door. Alicia got to her feet before Harry suddenly stopped. She followed his gaze to see a shivering light dancing on the door frame. Alicia knew the light, it was from the pensieve but as she looked at it she realised that the light also looked like that from their dream. The second room in which the spheres were all in…

Alicia turned to the pensive as Harry did and she looked at it as her brain worked.

Could the spheres hold memories? Was that was Voldemort wanted? How could a memory be such an important weapon? Well she did say knowledge was power…

Harry was beside her and it seemed was just as curious about the pensieve but took more time to reach it than her.

Alicia watched as Harry gave the silvery gas-liquid like substance a poke with his wand.

"Harry!" Alicia scolded "You can't!"

"What if it's about the Department of Mysteries?" he demanded of her

"First of all Snape could have many things he doesn't want us to know. Does he seem the type who grew up crying in a corner while his father abused his mother?" she asked and Harry looked surprised "Yeah I saw that. Sirius and Dad didn't like Snape and I bet there was something more there than that. Snape probably doesn't want us to know, and if he catches us… with our O. coming up…"

Harry had stopped listening as he'd leaned forwards to look into what seemed to be the Great Hall, as though looking through a window in the celling.

"Harry!" Alicia grabbed his arm to pull him away angrily, thinking him stupid for letting his anger control his actions. But as she did Harry plunged his face into the Pensieve and Alicia was pulled with him into the memory.

They was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, but the four House tables were gone. Instead there were more than a hundred smaller tables, all facing the same way, at each of which sat a student, head bent low, scribbling on a roll of parchment. The only sound was the scratching of quills and the occasional rustle as somebody adjusted their parchment. It was clearly exam time.

"I am going to kill you!" Alicia seethed at Harry. "I can't believe you!"

He wasn't listening.

Sunshine was streaming through the high windows onto the bent heads, which shone chestnut and copper and gold in the bright light. Harry looked around carefully. Snape had to be here somewhere… This was _his_ memory…

And there he was, at a table right behind the two. Harry stared. Snape-the-teenager had a stringy, pallid look about him, like a plant kept in the dark. His hair was lank and greasy and was flopping onto the table, his hooked nose barely half an inch from the surface of the parchment as he scribbled. Harry moved around behind Snape and read the heading of the examination paper:

Defence Against the Dark Arts — Ordinary Wizarding Level

Harry pulled on Alicia's robes and pointed, encouraging her to read it too. She glared at him but did as he asked, reading without a word.

So Snape had to be fifteen or sixteen, around Harry's own age. His hand was flying across the parchment; he had written at least a foot more than his closest neighbours, and yet his writing was minuscule and cramped.

"Five more minutes!"

The voice made Harry jump; turning, he saw the top of Professor Flitwick's head moving between the desks a short distance away. Alicia looked up with amusement but it vanished instantly when she saw who the Professor was walking past. It was a boy, a boy with untidy black hair… very untidy black hair…

Alicia moved forwards but Harry, Harry seemed to charge. Had he been solid, he would have knocked desks flying.

The boy was straightening up now, putting down his quill, pulling his roll of parchment toward him so as to reread what he had written…

Harry and Alicia stopped in front of the desk and gazed down at their fifteen-year-old father.

James was almost exactly like Harry it was scary, though there were some differences. James's eyes were hazel, his nose was slightly longer than Harry's, and there was no scar on his forehead, but they had the same thin face, same mouth, same eyebrows. James's hair stuck up at the back exactly as Harry's did, his hands could have been Harry's, and Harry could tell that when James stood up, they would be within an inch of each other's heights.

"It's like it's a mirror." Alicia mumbled but she had turned to look around. If James was here, then so had to be Sirius, and Lupin, even Peter. And of course, their mother, Lily.

James yawned hugely and rumpled up his hair, making it even messier than it had been. Then, with a glance toward Professor Flitwick, he turned in his seat and grinned at a boy sitting four seats behind him.

Harry brought Alicia's attention back again as Sirius give James the thumbs-up. Sirius was lounging in his chair at his ease, tilting it back on two legs. He was very good-looking; his dark hair fell into his eyes with a sort of casual elegance neither James's nor Harry's could ever have achieved, and a girl sitting behind him was eyeing him hopefully, though he didn't seem to have noticed. And two seats along from this girl was Remus Lupin. He looked rather pale and peaky and was absorbed in the exam: As he reread his answers he scratched his chin with the end of his quill, frowning slightly.

Alicia chuckled slightly before she looked around again, trying to find the mass of bright red hair that she knew belonged to her mother just as much as it did to Ginny.

Harry poked her and she looked at him then down to James' page. He was doodling and had drawn a snitch before he started to trace the letters L.E.

"L.E.?" Harry questioned. Alicia looked at it as she racked her brain before she grinned. She looked at Harry.

"Lily Evans." she responded "Bet you." Harry seemed to realised his mother was within the room as well as he suddenly began to look around, but Flitwick interrupted.

"Quills down, please!" squeaked Professor Flitwick. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! _Accio_!"

More than a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backward off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows, and lifted him onto his feet again.

"Thank you… thank you," panted Professor Flitwick. "Very well, everybody, you're free to go!"

Harry looked down at his father, who had hastily crossed out the L. E. he had been embellishing, jumped to his feet, stuffed his quill and the exam question paper into his bag, which he slung over his back, and stood waiting for Sirius to join him.

Alicia turned for Snape, they were in his memory and would have to follow him. He was moving away through the table towards the entrance hall. He was still absorbed in his own examination paper and was round-shouldered yet angular while standing. He walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, his oily hair swinging about his face.

"Come on." Alicia mumbled

"Hang on." Harry mumbled. He was listening to their dad and his friends as they walked with them, watching Snape.

"Did you like question ten, Moony?" asked Sirius as they emerged into the entrance hall.

"Loved it," said Lupin briskly. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."

"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" said James in tones of mock concern.

"Think I did," said Lupin seriously, as they joined the crowd thronging around the front doors eager to get out into the sunlit grounds. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin…"

Wormtail was the only one who didn't laugh.

"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," he said anxiously, "but I couldn't think what else —"

"How thick are you, Wormtail?" said James impatiently. "You run round with a werewolf once a month —"

"Keep your voice down," implored Lupin.

Harry looked anxiously behind him again. Snape remained close by, still buried in his examination questions; but this was Snape's memory. Alicia knew he didn't want to follow Snape and would rather follow James and the others.

Alicia glanced at Snape as well but found that they were going to the same place, James moved off down the lawn with his three friends and Snape followed, still reading the paper as though not knowing what his feet were doing.

Alicia turned back as Sirius spoke.

"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake, I'll be surprised if I don't get Outstanding on it at least."

"Me too," said James. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling Golden Snitch.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Nicked it," said James casually. He started playing with the Snitch, allowing it to fly as much as a foot away and seizing it again; his reflexes were excellent. Wormtail watched him in awe.

They stopped in the shade of the very same beech tree on the edge of the lake where Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione had spent a Sunday finishing their homework, and threw themselves down on the grass.

Alicia and Harry both looked at Snape this time to see he'd settled himself on the grass in the dense shadows of a clump of bushes. He was as deeply immersed in the O.W.L. paper as ever, which left Harry and Alicia free to sit down on the grass between the beech and the bushes and watch the foursome under the tree.

The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, on the bank of which the group of laughing girls who had just left the Great Hall were sitting with shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water.

Lupin had pulled out a book and was reading. Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored, but very handsomely so. James was still playing with the Snitch, letting it zoom farther and farther away, almost escaping but always grabbed at the last second. Wormtail was watching him with his mouth open. Every time James made a particularly difficult catch, Wormtail gasped and applauded. Alicia thought this annoying but James it seemed was enjoying the attention. Alicia thought her father a little too immersed in himself at this. She did notice however how he seemed to have had a habit of rumpling up his hair as though to make sure it did not get too tidy, and also that he kept looking over at the girls by the water's edge.

Alicia took to looking a little more closely at who was there. Instantly her eyes were caught by the thick dark red hair that fell to her shoulders. Alicia couldn't help but move over to see her.

Alicia always knew she was like her mother while Harry was like their father. Each having one distinct feature of the other. Alicia was her mother but with the black hair of her father. While Harry was their father but with the green eyes of their mother.

Alicia watched her mother smiling before she head James call loudly.

"All right, Snivellus?" she turned to see James and Sirius on their feet and looking at Snape.

Snape reacted so fast it was as though he had been expecting an attack: Dropping his bag, he plunged his hand inside his robes, and his wand was halfway into the air when James shouted, " _Expelliarmus_!"

Snape's wand flew twelve feet into the air and fell with a little thud in the grass behind him. Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

" _Impedimenta_!" he said, pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet, halfway through a dive toward his own fallen wand.

Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them had gotten to their feet and were edging nearer to watch. Some looked apprehensive, others entertained.

Alicia wondered what Snape had done and moved over to ask Harry.

"Nothing, they just spotted him." Harry shrugged. Alicia looked surprised.

Instantly she began to wonder why Sirius hated Snape so much when from this view it seemed that Sirius had been the bully for Snape to hate, not the other way around?

Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands up, James glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. He seemed such the show off. Alicia wondered whether her mother liked that in him.

Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view.

"How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" said James.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," said Sirius viciously. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word."

Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Wormtail sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.

"You — wait," he panted, staring up at James with an expression of purest loathing. "You — wait…"

"Wait for what?" said Sirius coolly. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"

Snape let out a stream of mixed swearwords and hexes, but his wand being ten feet away nothing happened.

"Wash out your mouth," said James coldly. " _Scourgify_!"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once; the froth was covering his lips, making him gag, choking him —

Alicia wanted to say something despite the fact that she wouldn't have been heard before someone got there first.

"Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius looked around. James's free hand jumped to his hair again.

Lily had moved over from the lake.

"All right, Evans?" said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. Alicia assumed the answer to her question was no. "What's he done to you?"

"Well," said James, appearing to deliberate the point, "it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…"

Many of the surrounding watchers laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and neither did Lily.

"You think you're funny," she said coldly. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone."

Alicia rose an eyebrow.

"I will if you go out with me, Evans," said James quickly. "Go on… Go out with me, and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again." Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch toward his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.

Alicia's mouth was hanging open in surprise by the scene before her. She couldn't understand how these two ended up so happily married.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," said Lily.

"Bad luck, Prongs," said Sirius briskly, turning back to Snape. "OY!"

But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

Many people in the small crowd watching cheered. Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter.

Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, "Let him down!"

"Certainly," said James and he jerked his wand upward. Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, " _Petrificus Totalus_!" and Snape keeled over again at once, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," said James earnestly.

"Take the curse off him, then!"

James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the countercurse.

"There you go," he said, as Snape struggled to his feet again, "you're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Lily blinked. "Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, _Snivellus_."

"Apologise to Evans!" James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

"I don't want you to make him apologise," Lily shouted, rounding on James. "You're as bad as he is…"

"What?" yelped James. "I'd NEVER call you a — you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can — I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK."

She turned on her heel and hurried away.

"Evans!" James shouted after her, "Hey, EVANS!" But she didn't look back.

"What is it with her?" said James, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him.

"Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate," said Sirius.  
"Right," said James, who looked furious now, "right —"  
There was another flash of light, and Snape was once again hanging upside down in the air.  
"Who wants to see me take off Snivelly's pants?"

But whether James really did take off Snape's pants, Alicia and Harry never found out. A hand had closed tight over both of their upper arms, closed with a pincerlike grip. Alicia didn't even bother to look. She closed her eyes not wanting to see what was in front of her or behind.

If someone was touching her, they were not part of the memory. Harry would not be so harsh and the only other person would be—

"Having fun?" Snape's voice sounded.

They were rising into the air, the summer's day evaporated around them as they floated upward through icy blackness. Snape's hand still tight upon their upper arms. Then, with a swooping feeling as though she had turned head over heels in midair, Alicia felt her feet hit the stone floor of Snape's dungeon.

Alicia still had her eyes shut and she didn't bother to remove Snape's grip from her arm despite how tight he was holding it.

"So," said Snape. "So… been enjoying yourself, Potter?"

"N-no…" said Harry, trying to free his arm.

It was scary: Snape's lips were shaking, his face was white, his teeth were bared.

"Amusing man, your father, wasn't he?" said Snape, shaking Harry so hard that his glasses slipped down his nose.

"I — didn't —"

Snape threw Harry from him with all his might. Harry fell hard onto the dungeon floor while Snape released Alicia who hadn't moved or spoken. He turned his back on her while rounding on her brother.

"You will not tell anybody what you saw!" Snape bellowed.

"No," said Harry, getting to his feet as far from Snape as he could. "No, of course I w —"

"Get out, get out, I don't want to see you in this office ever again!"

Alicia opened her eyes to find a few tears spill over her eyelids. She heard the door open as a jar exploded before Harry's footsteps disappeared down the hall.

Snape had rounded on Alicia, she expected him to shout at her too, but nothing happened. Eventually she chanced a sideways glance at Snape to find him staring at her. She looked away.

"He was an arrogant prick." she muttered, confirming what Snape had shouted at Harry so many times. "I'm sorry we intruded on your memories, Professor." she turned to leave the office without looking at him.

Alicia wished she'd never seen that. At first it had been fun, knowing her parents a little while they were at school. But what she had never needed was to see her father in such a way. He had no reason to be so cruel, he couldn't even seem to see what was wrong did, Lily knew it was wrong, and yet, James tried to use it as a sort of blackmail to get what he wanted with her. All he had to do was be nice and decent instead of showing off all the time to impress Lily, but it seemed James' mind didn't work like that.

He was arrogant. She had never wanted to believe Snape's version, his hatred had never exactly helped, of course she'd want to believe Sirius' side of things. It seemed Lupin was the person to talk to, he had clearly disapproved of the two's treatment of Snape and yet, as a Prefect, he hadn't done anything either.

How had the people she cared about so much, been so unnecessarily rude?

And it wasn't getting caught or shouted at that upset her, but that small scene, she had tried to believe her parents nice people, and it turned out Lily was, she was sensible. But her father…

All she had now was hope that he changed. Lily fell for him after all eventually, so something must've happened. Alicia clung to that small hope as she moved for a bathroom and a mirror. She cleaned up her face before she moved off for the Gryffindor Common room.

She poked her bruising arm with her wand as she went to help heal it up and after a few deep breaths, she put the memory behind her. She'd never tell anyone, not just for Snape's sake, but because she didn't want to admit that her father had done such things.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53:

Alicia managed to try and ignore the memory once she'd gotten up the next morning. She sat with Fred and George for breakfast and the two did wonders and helping her cheer up and forget as she'd hoped, comforting her slightly as they noticed the small change in her reluctance to give sarcastic and snide comments to them. She kept her mind on the fact that exams were only six weeks away as she, Harry, Hermione and Ron moved back to the common room, as it was the first day of the Easter holidays.

Hermione instantly sat down to do the four's homework planners. She insisted on doing Alicia's for her, despite her being capable of doing it herself.

Hermione asked how Harry's Occlumency lesson went the night before and Alicia had instantly dreaded that she had. Harry however just told her that Snape thought he was doing really well, as Hermione knew Alicia was doing better, and that the two could do it by themselves, so they weren't having the lessons anymore. Hermione of course pestered.

"But why haven't you got Occlumency lessons anymore?" said Hermione, frowning.

"I've _told_ you," Harry muttered. "Snape reckons Alicia and I can carry on by ourselves now I've got the basics…"

"So you've stopped having funny dreams?" said Hermione skeptically.

"Pretty much," said Harry, not looking at her. Alicia kept her eyes on her homework planner Hermione had made.

"Well, I don't think Snape should stop until you're absolutely sure you can control them!" said Hermione indignantly. "Harry, I think you should go back to him and ask —"

"No," said Harry forcefully. "Just drop it, Hermione, okay?"

Ron had been startled to discover that there were only six weeks left until their exams.

"How can that come as a shock?" Hermione demanded, as she tapped each little square on Ron's schedule with her wand so that it flashed a different colour according to its subject.

"I dunno…" said Ron, "there's been a lot going on…"

"Well, there you are," she said, handing him his schedule, "if you follow that you should do fine."

Ron looked down it gloomily, but then brightened. "You've given me an evening off every week!"

"That's for Quidditch practice," said Hermione. The smile faded from Ron's face.

"What's the point?" he said. "We've got about as much chance of winning the Quidditch Cup this year as Dad's got of becoming Minister of Magic…"

Alicia said nothing and so did Hermione. She had turned to Harry who was staring at the opposite wall being rather quiet. Crookshanks was pawing at his hand, trying to get him to scratch his ears.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"What?" he said quickly. "Nothing…"

He seized his copy of _Defensive Magical Theory_ and pretended to be looking something up in the index. Crookshanks gave him up as a bad job and began to slunk away under Hermione's chair before Alicia picked him up.

"I saw Cho earlier," said Hermione tentatively, "and she looked really miserable too… Have you two had a row again?"

"Wha — oh yeah, we have," said Harry, seizing gratefully on the excuse.

"What about?"

"That sneak friend of hers, Marietta," said Harry.

"Yeah, well, I don't blame you!" said Ron angrily, setting down his study schedule. "If it hadn't been for her…"

Ron went into a rant about Marietta Edgecombe. Harry had little to do but agree when Ron drew a breath, while trying to plant an angry expression on his face.

Alicia didn't bother, she'd pulled her Defence Against the Dark Arts homework forwards and dismissed the conversation. She was much less concentrated on the memory from yesterday then Harry was but still it irritated her. And considering Harry was always compared to his father, which was taken with pride, now, after seeing how their father acted… she wouldn't be surprised if it was no longer such a grand compliment.

The two didn't discuss the memory, they'd seemed to reach an unspoken agreement that neither was ever to tell anyone. It wasn't right and they were not their father, who would not only cause such trauma to someone, but probably spread it around as well. They hadn't had the talk to converse with each other over the subject because either Hermione, Ron or the twins were always around.

Sunday evening Alicia had Quidditch practice. She was more than surprised that Umbridge hadn't banned her after she found out about the D.A., but so much had happened she'd wondered maybe it'd slipped the women's mind.

It had once again been a terrible practice, only this time Jack Sloper managed to knock himself out, how, none of them were aware of, but he was taken to the hospital wing all the same.

Alicia and Ginny were making their way to the Tower with Ron. On arrival Fred and George moved towards them with parcels.

"Mum's easter Chocolate!" Fred beamed as he shoved a parcel into Alicia's hand.

"This one's Harry's, where is he?" George asked

"Library I expect." Alicia said when she noticed Hermione, her own parcel beside her as she studied.

"Aww come on Leesh, you've been down all week. It's chocolate." Fred grinned as he picked her up and spun her around. She laughed before nodding, smiling still.

"I know, sorry." She said. She managed to engage with the twins as Ron went upstairs to chance and Ginny went to find Harry and give him his chocolate.

"You know I hope she sent Padfoot some." George said, his voice softer and Alicia looked at him.

"He could probably do with some." Fred nodded

Alicia sighed. She'd have loved to wish Sirius a happy Easter, in fact she'd have loved to just talk to him in general, get some clearance about what she and Harry had seen. Have Sirius explain and reassure her. But with Umbridge watching all the fires and floor network, opening everyone's mail and parcels, there wasn't any other way of communicating.

Alicia stopped and Fred and George looked at her from the sudden hopeful look on her face.

She had those two way mirrors!

The hope was gone as soon as it had come, she'd never even given Sirius one of hers. She felt irritated with herself. How stupid! Why didn't she think to—

 _Sirius gave Harry one of his!_ Alicia suddenly gasped and much to the twins shock she turned, spun around and dashed up the the boys dormitory staircase.

"That's the wrong dormitory!" they called.

She didn't listen, she went straight to the fifth years dormitory, only stopping to knock, wait and when no one said anything she rushed in.

It was empty, perfect!

Alicia moved to Harry's bunk and removed his trunk, she rustled through all his things until she found the brown parcel Sirius had given Harry. She opened one of the ends and turned it upside down so that the frame fell into her free palm.

The mirror glinted at her in the fading light from outside. It was rather dirty and Alicia assumed that was from it being stored for twelve years while Sirius was in Azkaban. She stared at her reflection, she didn't know how this worked, did she see his reflection? Did the mirror become like a window? Or was it like Floo powder and his face would jump out? She looked it over and turned it over to find a note scribbled on it.

 _This is a two-way mirror. I've got the other. If you need to speak to me, just say my name into it; you'll appear in my mirror and I'll be able to talk in yours. James and I used to use them when we were in separate detentions._

She chuckled and turned it back, looking at her reflection.

"Sirius." she said, not knowing if she had to activate it or if it just worked.

She waited.

"Sirius!" she shook the mirror slightly.

Still nothing happened.

"God you said to call when we needed you! Answer! Sirius!" she demanded. She was glad no one was in the dormitory, she'd probably look silly shouting at a mirror.

"Alicia?" Sirius' reflection suddenly appeared in the mirror as though he was looking at it from Alicia's spot. It was a weird thing to look at but Alicia couldn't help but grin. "I thought I heard you but blew it off." "

Until we heard her shouting." Lupin's voice sounded and the two appeared in the mirror.

"What's wrong? Snape still giving Occlumency lessons? He giving you a hard time?" Sirius asked angrily. Alicia pursed her lips.

"He was giving them. And he was definitely not being gentle about it. I got the hang of it quicker than Harry but I'm still pulled with him into most of his dreams, especially the stronger ones." Alicia admitted. "He can't block me, I can feel his emotions still… sometimes even his thoughts."

"You can get into Harry's head?" Lupin asked surprised

"Well I've always been able to do that." Alicia rolled her eyes. "But, I'd been reading a book on Legilimency for a couple of weeks before Snape was ordered to give us lessons, and Snape was being so forceful and harsh about it that Harry started having more dreams and it was like his mind was more open as he continued them…" Alicia admitted "Anyway, we started to practice without Snape so it wasn't as… emotional."

"What do you mean?" Lupin asked

"I… sort of, learned Legilimency and… used it on Harry so he could get better at Occlumency." Alicia said suddenly feeling that she'd get in trouble for this.

Sirius and Lupin stared at her, or her reflection they saw, surprised.

"You learned Legilimency?" Sirius asked

"Well I'm not a genius at it obviously, I could only go off the book I read and I could only give Harry advice for Occlumency on what I did and on the book I read on Occlumency as well." she said "But sorta yeah… Enough to push my thoughts into his head now anyway."

"You can…" Sirius and Lupin shared a look

"Yeah… guess our connections a little deeper but Harry can't really do it to me…" Alicia said.

"Hang on, you said that Snape had been giving you lessons?" Lupin remembered "What happened?"

Alicia stopped and glanced downwards before taking a breath. Lupin and Snape looked surprised as her eyes pricked slightly with tears.

"Well…" she began "Every lesson Snape would remove some memories from his head and put them in a Pensieve." Alicia began "And when we were done he'd put them back, memories he didn't want us to see as Harry once used the shielding charm and he was thrown into Snape's head to see his memories." Alicia explained.

"In our last lesson he had removed the memories but something had happened and the lesson had to be postponed to the next day. Harry was fuming from his day, it having not been a very good one, and he decided he was going to intrude on and watch the memories Snape hadn't put back." Sirius smirked ever so slightly and Lupin looked serious. "I tried to stop him and had a hand on his arm when he dived into the Pensieve and he pulled me with him."

"What did you see?" Sirius asked eagerly.

Alicia pursed her lips and her expression turned grave.

"You." she replied and Sirius' expression fell "Both of you. Peter… Dad… Mum…" she took a breath "You guys had just finished your Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L Exam." Lupin frowned and Sirius looked like he was thinking over the memory. She knew when he'd hit it because he didn't look happy in the slightest.

"James decided to humiliate Snape who was nearby. No real reason, no prompt or explanation. And I know he was only fifteen and he was probably stupid and clearly he was trying to show off to Mum and he hated Snape," she began "But I just can't believe he went and… that you both just decided it was a good thing to do that. Unprovoked." Sirius actually looked sorry for himself "And Lupin you didn't even do anything to stop them, and you were a Prefect." Lupin sighed himself.

"Harry has been torn up over it for ages." Alicia said in a small voice.

"Wait when did this happen?" Sirius asked

"Just as the Easter Holidays began." Alicia responded.

"Did Snape catch you?" Lupin asked

"Course he did. And I've never ever seen him so angry. It was even scary. He threw Harry from the room and even threw a jar at his head." Sirius looked furious.

"He WHAT?"

"Don't go getting angry!" Alicia snapped and Sirius looked surprised "He had that memory because of you, his more humiliating moment in school of course he didn't want Harry of all people to see it! How could you not be furious that Harry had purposely intruded on Snape's privacy?"

Sirius still looked furious.

"But that's not the point Sirius. Don't you understand how Harry must be feeling?" They both didn't look convinced it'd be good. "Harry's always compared to his father, whether it's by you guys or Dumbledore or even Snape and after seeing that, he doesn't feel at all like that's a good thing. And the fact that you guys joined in or didn't stop it. Like no wonder Peter turned out how he was!" Alicia said, slightly surprised herself that she made that connection. "There's hatred and then there's…" she took a breath "Malfoy and Harry hate each other as well but they'd never go that far and that I could promise. And they're the same age! And if they did there's no way I'd sit there and let it happen!" she scolded slightly.

They still said nothing.

"It sort of makes me, almost ashamed of him." Alicia admitted "Like Mum intervened, she did the right thing, and then of course there was the fact of how disappointed she was with James and it's questionable how they got together but I'd like to hope James matured slightly." Alicia said and she looked at the two.

"He did. His head deflated and he grew up, stopped hexing people for no reason." Sirius assured her

"And you?"

"Well Sirius did the same by that point." Lupin nodded

"Though I doubt Snape counted?" Alicia asked

"Well no but Snape didn't let up, so James wouldn't just take that would he?" Sirius asked and Alicia shook her head. Harry and Malfoy didn't so…

"I just, wanted to make sure it was a stupid phase." Alicia said "Cause it doesn't make me feel great, and Snape demanded we never tell anyone obviously, but even if he hadn't I never would because how could I want people to know that was my dad?" she said and Sirius and Lupin looked guilty. "Like I can tell them he was a genius, and great at school and Quidditch and the type of person everyone wants to be, but to just add he was a stupid idiot of a bully on top of that because he let all that attention go to his head…" Alicia shook her head and a few strands of her black hair pulled from the pony tail she had it tied in.

"Strange, some people might see that and think they're never going to change but Lily decided to give James the chance."

"Lily was an exceptionally kind women. Always saw the best in people even though they maybe couldn't." Lupin nodded

"Well she clearly couldn't in James at that age." Alicia mumbled and the two laughed.

"It was a little different but he was a good person. One of the reasons he hated Snape so much was because Snape had such a deep love for the Dark Arts." Sirius said

"Which lead to the Death Eaters and a want to teach the subject." Alicia nodded understandingly

"Hang on, if Harry's upset, why hasn't he talked to me?" Sirius asked

"To be honest I don't think he even remembers about this mirror." Alicia said "It was still in the packaging. He's off sulking over the memory while trying to do homework."

"He doesn't want to talk to me?" Sirius asked seeming somewhat hurt.

"Actually that's probably all he wants to do right now. But Sirius, if Harry took the mirror to talk to you and told you about how Snape was possibly worsening his Voldemort condition what would you do?" Sirius looked at her and pursed his lips. She could see he knew but didn't want to answer. She did it for him. "You'd march yourself down here and have a go at him. And with Umbridge in the school and having already questioned Harry and I about your whereabouts how on earth do you think that'd end up? With you back in Azkaban or with the kiss or both and then what help are you?"

"Wait…" Lupin said "Umbridge questioned you about Sirius?"

"The toad tried to give us Veritaserum by demanding we have some tea with her. Of course I know about the stuff, so does Harry but he doesn't know what it smells like and Moody would have killed us if we drank the stuff. She asked us where Dumbledore was, as if we'd know, and then asked where you were because she'd almost caught you in the fire." Alicia explained

"She tired to get the truth out of you by…" Sirius asked looking furious.

"That's nothing she's been telling Filch that he can have punishment rights such as whipping us students and of course there's her blood Quills."

"Her what?" Lupin asked.

In response Alicia held up her hand and tensed it so that the words on the back of it stood out white. The two peered closer, having to tilt the mirror before looking shocked.

"She gives you these Quills and you write with them. You don't need ink because the quills use your own blood and the words you write are carved into the back of your hand."

"How long's this been going on?" Sirius asked seething

"Harry and I were the first to use them, in our first week this year." Alicia admitted

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sirius demanded as Lupin looked calculating

"And what good would that do? Have you march down here? With so many Educational Decrees even the teachers here can't do anything and with Dumbledore gone…"

"Why didn't you tell Dumbledore?" Lupin wondered

"The man as been practically ignoring us all year because he's worried Voldemort will look through Harry's mind to him or something. And every time he touches Harry, Harry gets a searing pain in his scar and the urge to attack the man. Which is coming from Voldemort obviously but…" the two shared another look. "We can't talk to him. That's why I can't question him about the connection between me and Harry and Harry and Voldemort or why Voldemort wants to get into the Department of Mysteries to retrieve a glowing sphere, which I think might have memories in it. And why on earth Voldemort would want a memory I have no idea, what could one single memory give him that he didn't have last time? And how is that a weapon? I mean knowledge is power but still…" Sirius and Lupin looked shocked and stared at her.

"Alicia, how do you… where did you hear that?" Sirius questioned

"First of all I've believed this weapon was in the Ministry since you told us about it in the Summer. Second of all Harry went past the door that leads to the Department of Mysteries to go to his hearing and he's been dreaming about it all year. Third we saw Mr Weasley attacked outside that door. Fourth, Harry's dream escalated and we got through that door, finally, through two more doors and into a room filled with shelves and these glowing orb spheres which give off the same light as the pensive filled with memories." she explained "And there was such a desire that what ever Voldemort wanted was in that room and there was nothing else besides these orbs so." Alicia shrugged.

They were silent, looking between each other. Alicia waited for them to speak and after a lot of silence to reached the simple conclusion of they wouldn't.

"You're not going to even say anything are you? Not going to bother tell me if I'm right?"

"Alicia—"

"I'm too young, I'm not supposed to know." Alicia cut her Godfather off "Well I clearly know for a reason." she said "Or I've got what I know for a reason and if I'm not right then I'm likely to hit the truth if I've gotten this far." they still said nothing. "And every time I have reached the answer it's either gotten me into a heap of trouble, or I've found out while I was in a heap of trouble." Alicia continued "So it'd be a lot easier if you would just tell me now!" she was getting frustrated now. "Save me all the danger and life threatening action…"

"Alicia, Dumbledore has been distant and doesn't want you to know for a reason." Sirius said

"No. He doesn't want Harry to know and I'm suffering that too. What if something happens because of this? We're children and we have weaknesses, if we don't know…" Alicia feared terribly what could happen. "Knowledge it power and we're blind. I mean last time we didn't read the signs and didn't follow our instincts and it got us almost killed, killed Cedric and ended in Voldemort back to his true form again. We can't risk something like that happening again Sirius."

"Exactly Alicia, you're just children…"

"And we're already vulnerable."

"You said Umbridge tried to give you Veritaserum," Lupin said, his eyebrows raised "If she manages to succeed, then telling you would not have been wise." Alicia rolled her eyes.

"The only reason she'd be able to do that to me is if she forces it down my throat. And I'd sooner have both hands scared with blood quills or kicked out of the school then let that happen." Alicia said strongly.

"Alicia, you cannot leave Hogwarts." Lupin said.

"It wont be that big a deal, Dumbledore will be back and that's all that matters."

"Except you'll miss your O.W.L exams." Sirius reminded her

"And I'm sure that'll be made up for, whether I'm given it late or what. I'd pass them all anyway." Alicia shrugged "Some things are more important Sirius and like Fred and George I will not bow down like a lapdog." Sirius gave her a look for the phrase and she rolled her eyes.

"What's Fred and George doing?" Lupin wondered

"Oh god, what aren't they doing!?" Alicia grinned "They set off a whole heap of everlasting fireworks, you vanish them they multiply, you try and destroy them and it's like the get a recharge. Set them off in the corridor and they lasted the entire day and into the night. They've got something else set up next for I think when we go back."

"Molly will kill them if they're expelled." Sirius said but he was grinning.

"They wont be expelled." Alicia shook her head and the two look confused "They'll leave the school before that happens."

"What?"

"Fred and George have decided that they don't care about their N.E. , like they didn't care about their O. . They've been banned from Quidditch after all and they don't see the point in staying. And with the way they're going I don't think they need N.E. . That business of theirs is basically ready to be sold they just need a place to do it from and I wouldn't be surprised if they'd already worked that out. They're probably going to be more successful than Percy, Charlie and Bill put together."

"Really?" Lupin asked

"Yes. And if Mrs Weasley isn't completely proud of them then she's mad. It's amazing what they've created and perfected this year alone." Alicia beamed.

"You seem rather impressed by this?" Sirius said looking suspicious

"Well," Alicia shrugged "It's very impressive magic to be honest and I don't know how they only got three O. because the amount of charms, potions and transfigurations they'd need to create their merchandise must be exquisite."

"Well, I guess let them give Umbridge a run for her money then." Sirius grinned

"My thoughts exactly!" Alicia nodded.

She stopped as she heard voices and footsteps outside. The light had completely faded from outside and darkness had set in.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"I'd better go, someone's coming. Probably be awkward if I'm found sitting in the boys dormitories talking to a mirror." she said

"Why are you in the boys dormitories Alicia?" Sirius asked looking slightly amused.

"Well considering this is Harry's mirror and I forgot to give you the other half of mine, where do you think I'd find it? Not in my trunk. And the room was empty so why bother steal it? This way I can put it back." Alicia explained

"Tell Harry to talk to me!" Sirius said quickly.

"I will. I'll remind him. He'll probably want you to reassure him about that day so that being compared to his dad is not shameful."

"It's not!" Sirius said strongly

"He needs to know that. He didn't know his father did he?" the two sighed.

"Well see you later Alicia. Be careful!"

"Yeah right, still clueless remember." Alicia huffed before she grabbed the brown bag and put the mirror back into it, Sirius and Lupin watching her as she did. She put it back in Harry's trunk and quickly moved to the door.

Fred and George were the ones whispering on the other side as she came out and they both looked at her for a second as the dormitory door closed behind her.

"Did you run up the wrong staircase accidentally?" Fred asked

"No." Alicia assured "Why were you worried I had?" she asked smirking.

George was grinning mischievously as Fred rose a questioning eyebrow.

"What were you doing in a boys dormitory?" he wondered

"Looking for something of Harry's." she replied, pointing to the sign that said 'Fifth Years'.

"You couldn't ask him?" Fred wondered

"He's been moping the last few weeks." Alicia shrugged "This was easier. What are you guys doing?" she asked stepping towards them.

"Other than wondering if you'd lost your marbles?" George asked as Alicia noticed that George had a piece of paper in his hand that looked like a letter. She took no notice of his words and tried to peer over the edge, only to have George turn it so she couldn't see. She looked confused, hardly ever did they keep anything from her and she rose an eyebrow.

George looked at Fred and she looked between them both.

"What? Am I not allowed to know?" she asked confused

"Well it was going to be a surprise…" George said

"It still will be, I promise to be surprised when you tell me… is it surprising?" she wondered and Fred chuckled. He took the parchment and handed it to Alicia.

It was a permission for a premises, number nineteen Diagon Alley. Both Fred and George's names were upon the paper, granting them a building. Alicia's eyes widened in surprise as she grinned before turning to the two.

"You got a building!" she said excitedly, managing to keep her voice down. "You got a building?!" she actually asked this time and both nodded. "Oh my god!" she threw her arms around Fred's neck and gave him a hug in her excitement. He and George chuckled. "Congratulations! Does that mean you have a name?" she asked pulling away and high-fifing George.

They shared a look.

"Oh please tell me!" she pleaded. They laughed.

"Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes." they chorused. Alicia looked at them before grinning.

"I like it." she nodded "Oh this is so exciting, you two are going to be so successful!"

"You think?" they asked

"Well you've earned enough to get a building already!" Alicia beamed

"Well, most of that came from you and Harry." Fred reminded her. Alicia waved it away.

"Oh I can't wait to see it!" she then frowned "Damn I wish I could help you decorate it."

"How could you?" Fred wondered

"I'd get on the Knight bus and come visit you during the summer." Alicia said simply "But I wouldn't be able to do magic, and ti'd probably be bit late by then." she sighed and Fred put his arm around her shoulders.

"Well at least you can still come and visit."

"Yes… God wont it be boring next year without you two?" she believed realising and they chuckled.

"You can always help us design it." George told her

"And get you to do all the hard work." Alicia nodded "That sounds right." the three laughed.

"Well if you're ever looking for work." Fred promised, brushing some of her hair. She grinned

"Yes while I'm training to be an Auror which takes three extra years, unless I decide on something else." They looked amused

"An Auror?" they asked

"I think it'd be interesting." Alicia nodded "Might write a book or something too, like a text book, god knows people could use simpler books that are a little less droning and easier or more fun to read. And maybe once I'm done with the danger and adventures, I'll become a teacher." she shrugged

"And you said we've got it all planned out." Fred said looking surprised

"Well I do make an okay teacher don't I?" Alicia wondered

"Oh, god yeah." George nodded and she beamed.

"And it'd be fun I think." Alicia believed "And with my grades it shouldn't be hard enough to get enough O. and N.E. … of course that's if the Ministry would let me but if they're ignoring me like the Prophet has then…" she shrugged "Who knows what'll happen in three more years."

"That's right you've got your careers at some point don't you." George remembered

"It'll be this term as it's the last." Alicia nodded "Something I've been thinking over."

"Well as you say, with your grades you should be able to go anywhere." Fred nodded

"You'd hope."

"And you've done well in remaining calm and keeping on top of everything." George added

"Well I do have a rather rational and level headed space that takes over when there's too much emotion involved." Alicia admitted "Really helped us out in the graveyard."

"You'll be fine then." George assured and Alicia nodded.

"If you two can do it." she grinned and they nodded, expressions of wisdom planted on their face in which the girl laughed.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54:

Alicia was right, before the holidays even came to an end a notice appeared within the Gryffindor Tower, highlighting the importance of their upcoming exams. With these appeared a bunch of pamphlets, leaflets and notices about various Wizarding careers.

 _CAREER ADVICE_

 _All fifth years will be required to attend a short meeting with their Head of House during the first week of the Summer term, in which they will be given the opportunity to discuss their future careers. Times of individual appointments are listed below._

Alicia scanned through the list to find she had Monday morning, taking her out of Potions. She wasn't at all upset about this considering the last time she'd seen Snape it had not promised a very happy lesson the next time they met.

The fifth years then spent a considerable part of the final weekend of the Easter break reading all the career information that had been left there for their perusal.

"Well, I don't fancy Healing," said Ron on the last evening of the holidays. He was immersed in a leaflet that carried the crossed bone-and-wand emblem of St. Mungo's on its front. "It says here you need at least an E at N.E.W.T. level in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Charms, and Defence Against the Dark Arts. I mean… blimey… Don't want much, do they?"

"Well, it's a very responsible job, isn't it?" said Hermione absently. She was poring over a bright pink-and-orange leaflet that was headed so you think you'd like to work in muggle relations?

"You do have people's lives in your hands after all." Alicia agreed as she had an Auror Ministry pamphlet in her hand.

"You don't seem to need many qualifications to liaise with Muggles… All they want is an O.W.L. in Muggle Studies… ' _Much more important is your enthusiasm, patience, and a good sense of fun!_ '"

"You'd need more than a good sense of fun to liaise with my uncle," said Harry darkly. "Good sense of when to duck, more like…" He was halfway through a pamphlet on Wizard banking. "Listen to this:

" _'Are you seeking a challenging career involving travel, adventure, and substantial, danger-related treasure bonuses? Then consider a position with Gringotts Wizarding Bank, who are currently recruiting Curse-Breakers for thrilling opportunities abroad…'_ They want Arithmancy, though… You could do it, Hermione, Alicia!"

"I don't much fancy banking," said Hermione vaguely, now immersed in have you got what it takes to train security trolls?

"I don't fancy goblins." Alicia added

"Hey," said a voice in Harry's ear. He looked around; Fred and George had come to join them, Fred pulling Alicia up so she could sit on his lap. "Ginny's had a word with us about you," said Fred, stretching out his legs on the table in front of them and causing several booklets on careers with the Ministry of Magic to slide off onto the floor. "She says you need to talk to Sirius?" Alicia rose a confused eyebrow.

"What?" said Hermione sharply, freezing with her hand halfway toward picking up _make a bang at the department of magical accidents and catastrophes_.

"Yeah…" said Harry, trying to sound casual, "yeah, I thought I'd like —"

"Don't be so ridiculous," said Hermione, straightening up and looking at him as though she could not believe her eyes. "With Umbridge groping around in the fires and frisking all the owls?"

"Why would you even bother—" Alicia began

"Don't you want to talk to him?" Harry asked

"Of course I would but—"

"It can't be done right?" Hermione cut her off this time

"That wasn't what I was—"

"Alicia you can't be considering, I mean with Umbridge!" Hermione said strongly as Alicia looked irritated.

"Well, we think we can find a way around that," said George, stretching and smiling. "It's a simple matter of causing a diversion. Now, you might have noticed that we have been rather quiet on the mayhem front during the Easter holidays?"

"What was the point, we asked ourselves, of disrupting leisure time?" continued Fred. "No point at all, we answered ourselves. And of course, we'd have messed up people's studying too, which would be the very last thing we'd want to do."

He gave Hermione a sanctimonious little nod. She looked rather taken aback by this thoughtfulness, though her eyes flickered to Alicia on his lap.

"But it's business as usual from tomorrow," Fred continued briskly. "And if we're going to be causing a bit of uproar, why not do it so that Harry can have his chat with Sirius?"

"Yes, but _still_ ," said Hermione with an air of explaining something very simple to somebody very obtuse, "even if you do cause a diversion, how is Harry supposed to talk to him?"

"Umbridge's office," said Harry quietly.

"Are — you — insane?" said Hermione in a hushed voice.

Ron had lowered his leaflet on jobs in the cultivated fungus trade and was watching the conversation warily.

"I don't think so," said Harry, shrugging.

"And how are you going to get in there in the first place?"

Harry was ready for this question.

"Sirius's knife," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"Christmas before last Sirius gave me a knife that'll open any lock," said Harry. "So even if she's bewitched the door so _Alohomora_ won't work, which I bet she has —"

"Harry, all of this is very unnecessary, if you want to talk to Sirius—"

"This is the only way." he was appalled Alicia wasn't agreeing to this with excitement, needing clarification herself.

"Well actually—"

"What do you think about this?" Hermione demanded of Ron, and it was surprising how much Hermione was like Mrs. Weasley appealing to her husband during Harry's first dinner in Grimmauld Place.

"I dunno," said Ron, looking alarmed at being asked to give an opinion. "If Harry wants to do it, it's up to him, isn't it?"

"Spoken like a true friend and Weasley," said Fred, clapping Ron hard on the back. "Right, then. We're thinking of doing it tomorrow, just after lessons, because it should cause maximum impact if everybody's in the corridors — Harry, we'll set it off in the east wing somewhere, draw her right away from her own office — I reckon we should be able to guarantee you, what, twenty minutes?" he said, looking at George.

"Easy," said George.

"Hang on, will someone just let me finish, this fuss isn't necessary if you want to talk to Sirius then just—"

"Alicia I can't send him a letter." Harry said with irritation "I really need to talk to him and this is the—"

"It's not the only way!" Alicia snapped, cutting her brother off this time. "But if you refuse to let me tell you of another, much less extreme and easier way to talk to him, than fine! Go into Umbridge's office for no reason, get caught and be expelled only to have Sirius tell you how stupid you are. Cause he'll tell you exact same thing I'm trying to!" she got to her feet and stalked up the girl's dormitory stairs.

They all stared after her surprised.

"Well, I'm glad someone sees sense." Hermione huffed

"She's barking, there's no way to talk to Sirius that isn't being monitored." Ron believed before he turned to his brothers. "What sort of diversion is it?" asked Ron.  
"You'll see, little bro," said Fred, as he and George got up again.

"At least, you will if you trot along to Gregory the Smarmy's corridor round about five o'clock tomorrow."

* * *

Alicia moved straight for breakfast the next morning, not bothering to wait for the boys or Hermione. She had basically finished by the time they had arrived and she got up to move for History of Magic.

Everyone arrived and Alicia said good morning but didn't direct it towards any individual. She saw Harry frown as they moved into the classroom. It was easier to ignore her brother than she expected as Hermione spent the entire lesson nagging Harry about how he shouldn't be breaking into Umbridge's office. She even neglected to take notes and was the least attentive she had ever been.

"… and if she does catch you there, apart from being expelled, she'll be able to guess you've been talking to Snuffles and this time I expect she'll force you to drink Veritaserum and answer her questions…"

"Hermione," said Ron in a low and indignant voice, "are you going to stop telling Harry off and listen to Binns, or am I going to have to take notes instead?"

"You take notes for a change, it won't kill you!"

The two boys got so annoyed by her nagging that they too fell quiet and started to ignore her, neither speaking to her by the time they reached the Dungeons. Alicia checked her watch, her meeting wasn't until a little bit later in the lesson. She hoped Snape had been informed of her meeting as she didn't particularly want to talk to the man. She worried a little about what might happen in the potions lesson but Snape had a habit of ignoring her so maybe he'd continue with that. What he did to Harry however may be much worse.

Hermione continued her harping as they entered the dungeons, taking advantage of the fact she wasn't being interrupted by anyone.

The class wasn't as bad as Alicia feared, Snape ignored her as usual but more so he ignored Harry. Harry of course was used to this from his family and seemed to be doing well with his Invigoration Draught when Alicia got up to leave for her meeting with McGonagall.

She moved over to Snape who was over with the Slytherins and she ignored them all and she took a breath.

"Professor, I have my meeting with Professor McGonagall for the careers advice." she said and Snape didn't bother to glance at her "Great so I'll be back." and she turned to leave.

McGonagall told her to enter when she knocked on her office door.

"Morning Miss Potter." McGonagall answered when Alicia walked in.

The girl however paused for a fraction of a second when she saw Umbridge sitting in the corner. She smirked ever so slightly at the annoyance that Umbridge wiped from her face when Alicia turned to her.

"Sorry Minerva but could you please address Miss Evans properly." she interrupted. Professor McGonagall said nothing as Alicia took a seat, ignoring Umbridge.

"So Miss Potter, careers, have you any thoughts?" she wondered

"I have a few. To be honest an Auror has stood out rather well. It interests me to be able to help out those who are in a spot of trouble. But also it gives me the chance to learn more of course. But I was also thinking about teaching maybe later after that if it was available."

"Well, you have put some thought into it." Professor McGonagall nodded, seeming impressed. "Well, for an Auror you'd need top marks," she pulled out a pamphlet from the pile that littered her desk from other meetings. "They ask for a minimum of five N.E.W.T.s, and nothing under 'Exceeds Expectations' grade. Then you would be required to undergo a stringent series of character and aptitude tests at the Auror office. Now they only take the best and I don't think anybody has been taken on in the last three years."

"I'm aware, you are required to do some rather dangerous and difficult tasks after all." Alicia nodded. Umbridge gave a cough from behind Alicia and she instantly assumed the women wanted to make a remark as to their discussion but neither her nor Professor McGonagall acknowledged her presence.

"Well, you're marks throughout your classes are rather remarkable, as they always have been, so I doubt getting at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' would be all that difficult for you, however, some teachers have a preference of which students they take within their classes for their N.E.W.T students. For example, I do not accept students into my class unless they have achieved an 'Exceeds Expectations' or higher at Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Likewise Professor Snape absolutely refuses to accept student who get any lower than an 'Outstanding'."

Alicia wasn't surprised by this and she nodded in understanding.

Umbridge coughed again, slightly louder.

"For an Auror you'd do well to take both these classes, as well as Charms and of course Defence Against the Dark Arts." Professor McGonagall continued. Alicia watched as she opened a folder in which her name flashed momentarily and guessed they were her track record so far within her classes. "So far it seems none of these will be unobtainable to you to achieve the marks required—" Umbridge had given yet another cough and Alicia glanced to the side as McGonagall stopped. She took a breath and turned to Umbridge.

"Have a cold to you Dolores? Perhaps a cough drop?" she offered

"Oh, no thank you. However I would like to point out that Miss Evans' result so far in my class—"

"Are sitting on an 'Exceeds Expectations'." McGonagall interrupted her

"Things can change in the time left Minerva." Umbridge warned with her smile still in place.

"In the case of Alicia Potter she has always succeeded within her classes and I doubt that, unless something changes or is unnecessary adapted, she is unlikely to loose that devotion. Four years in this school have proven that much."

"Well unfortunately her will to break and disregard rules will effect her being accepted into the Ministry let alone the Auror office." Umbridge continued

"I'm sorry Dolores but I was under the impression it was a students grades and performance that were being examined, not whether she seems fit to follow a bed time or not." Professor McGonagall answered, her mouth in the hard line it always was when Umbridge was present. She turned back to Alicia to ignore Umbridge again. Alicia so wanted to turn around and smirk at Umbridge but guessed it would only get her into trouble.

"Any questions, Miss Potter?" McGonagall asked

"The Character and Aptitude tests, they're examined obviously?" Alicia asked

"Yes, so you will continue to study and do examinations after school." McGonagall nodded.

"And what do they test?"

"You demonstrate the ability to react well to pressure and so forth," said Professor McGonagall, "perseverance and dedication, because Auror training takes a further three years, not to mention very high skills in practical defence." Alicia nodded. She could handle that no problem, after all she'd already been through. Her brain was also wired that way.

"Anything else?"

"I don't think so." Alicia smiled "I mean I guess to be a teacher you'd have to get rather top marks in what ever subject it is you're teaching right?" she asked

"Correct."

"Then I think I'm all good."

"Very well, you'd better return to potions."

"Thank you professor." Alicia nodded before she turned to leave the office, smiling a little too smugly as she did. She guessed Umbridge wanted to know her choices so she could mess with it, but Alicia had no criminal record, had very high marks in all subjects, was persistent and determined. And breaking school rules were not measured after school, and she had no way of changing that or making that an educational decree. Careers were after school and your behaviour within it wasn't taken into account.

Alicia sighed. Harry on the other hand, had low grades in some subjects, his since cleared criminal record she would use, although it wasn't liable.

"If anything it proves he can act under pressure…" Alicia mumbled.

She returned to the dungeons in time to finish her potion, having not been with McGonagall for more than ten minutes and put the flask at Snape's desk with the rest of them, labelling it.

She moved off to lunch, where Harry sat between Neville and Seamus in order to avoid Hermione. Snape had purposely dropped his potion sample and Hermione, thinking Harry was finished, cleared Harry's potion away so that he couldn't give another sample. Alicia predicted he was also sick of Hermione's nagging.

"Harry ready?" Fred asked as he sat beside Alicia, George on his other side.

"Dunno." Alicia responded. The two shared a look when she didn't look up to answer.

"Are you still angry at him?"

"For not listening to me? Absolutely. He could potentially get expelled for no reason."

"I don't think ignoring his need to talk to Snuffles is no reason." George said

"It is when there's another way. But he clearly doesn't care."

"Another way? How?" Fred questioned. Alicia sighed

"Remember for my birthday, Snuffles gave me a pair of mirrors?" they nodded "Well he had a pair himself, he and my dad used to use them when they had separate detentions. You can talk through them. Snuffles gave Harry the other one of his. That's why I was in the boys dormitories. I was talking to him." Alicia explained. They looked surprised. "They're apparently rare."

"So all he has to do is look in the mirror?" George asked

"Yep,"

"Why doesn't he?" Fred wondered

"I think you'll find he's forgotten he even has it, and if he's not going to listen to me I'm not going to bother remind him. He can just feel stupid when he's kicked out for his insecurities."

"Insecurities?" Fred asked

"It's a long story." Alicia mumbled

"I'm guessing you spoke to him for the same reason?" George asked

"Yes. I did. And I didn't put my future on the line to do so." Alicia replied. The twins shared a look, slightly surprised. She took a breath before tuning to them more eagerly. "So, what you guys doing?"

"It's a surprise." George said

"Yeah you already know about the premises, this one you can wait for." Fred decided

"I waited for the fireworks though." Alicia frowned. They chuckled.

"Two more lessons wont kill you." Fred believed he patted her back.

"I dunno, ones with Umbridge…" Alicia mumbled and they chuckled.

Fred kissed her cheek as they got up to move to their next class and she did the same with Hermione to head to Arithmancy.

Harry didn't look as resolved about his plan as he had in potions for this afternoon when he arrived in _Defence Against the Dark Arts_. Umbridge too seemed out of sorts and was breathing hard as though she'd run a marathon.

"I hope you've thought better of what you were planning to do, Harry," Hermione whispered, the moment they had opened their books to chapter thirty-four ("Non-Retaliation and Negotiation"). "Umbridge looks like she's in a really bad mood already…"

Every now and then Umbridge shot glowering looks at Harry, who kept his head down, staring at Defensive Magical Theory, his eyes unfocused, clearly thinking. Alicia guessed Umbridge had been in Harry's interview and the two Professors had had an argument over something they disagreed about with Harry, likely his likeliness to excel in his chosen career choice.

"Dumbledore sacrificed himself to keep you in school, Harry!" whispered Hermione, raising her book to hide her face from Umbridge. "And if you get thrown out today it will all have been for nothing!"

Hermione didn't give up, especially when the Bell rang.

"Harry, don't do it, please don't do it!" Hermione said in anguished tones as the bell rang at the end of the class. "Alicia talk to him." she demanded

"You saw him, he doesn't want to listen to me!" Alicia sneered before she hurried out the door to proceed upstairs and find out what Fred and George were up to.

It started before she got there, screams and yells started and many people stopped in their tracks around her scared. Alicia however continued until she reached the fifth floor of the East Wing and when she arrived she found there was a giant swamp in the middle. Several people were covered in the stuff. Alicia snorted slightly before covering her mouth to stop her laughing. Fred and George on the other hand had bursted out and not bothering to hide it. George heard Alicia and the two ran towards her.

Fred decided it was a good time to kiss her before grinning at her.

"Come on, before Umbridge arrives!" Fred said and he grabbed her hand to run off down the corridor.

"There! Professor!" They turned to see one of the Slytherins who were part of the Inquisitorial Squad pointing after them. Alicia smirked slightly and drew her wand. With a clever little flick the Slytherin was tied up and his mother covered with what looked like a cartoon paint sticker plastered over his face. Fred and George laughed as they continued on their way down the stairs towards the Great Hall for dinner. They stopped running after long and strolled through the people who were making their way to see what the commotion was upstairs.

"You know those people can dob on you." Alicia said through her chuckles

"Narr, they hate Umbridge too much." George believed

"Not all of them." she corrected

They got down to the entrance hall, several people having caught up and congratulated the two boys. Some where covered in the swampy substance and scowling, others looked disappointed by the substance but also impressed by the two.

When they got to the Entrance Hall Fred and George decided to make an announcement to everyone heading to dinner.

"Portable Swamps available!" Fred Shouted

"Demonstration up on the fifth floor!" George added and many turned to look at them, some very confused.

It seemed the two wanted to get caught because there were Inquisitorial Squad members surrounded the three within minutes, those who clearly weren't at Umbridge's side. One however did run off and soon Umbridge arrived to look at the two twins.

They heard her shouting in anger and slight satisfaction before she even arrived. People stopped and listened, a few teachers walked out of the Great Hall and the ghosts had even started to stop and listen.

"Filch!" Umbridge's voice sounded and silence fell in the Entrance Hall, everyone stopping. "I have the approval for your punishments in my office. Please go and collect it!" Many looked shocked by this news but Fred and George didn't think any of it. Alicia however hoped Harry had decided against talking to Sirius and wasn't in the office.

Many by now had began to stand waiting for what ever commotion was going to unfold. It wasn't until Umbridge appeared at the top of the stairs that majority of the school had gathered, surrounding Fred and George as Umbridge walked down the Marble Stairs to stare down at the two.

"I should have known!" Umbridge breathed "I should have known you would be at the centre of all this, Miss Evans." Alicia actually looked slightly surprised but the calm remained.

"I'm sorry Professor, but I was in your classroom until the bell rang remember? How could I have done anything in such a short amount of time?" she wondered before turning to the twins.

"Where's this…" she broke off as though not knowing what had happened.

"The Swamp?" George asked and she nodded

"Fifth floor, East Wing." Fred grinned and many murmured around them.

"How could I have gotten from your classroom to the Fifth Floor in such a short amount of time Professor?" Alicia wondered

"She was with them!" The Slytherin Alicia had hexed was in the crowd, someone had freed him.

"I met them. Besides what proof do you have that they're to blame?" Alicia wondered, rolling her eyes at the ignorance of the Slytherin.

"How about through eyewitnesses?" Another Slytherin of the Inquisitorial Squad pointed at those covered in swamp.

"Did they say anything?" Alicia asked

"Enough!" Umbridge snapped and everyone turned to her. Despite not being able to pin anything on Alicia she still had a triumphant look on her face at having caught the two twins. Fred and George however were snickering at the people covered in their instant swamp charm and Umbridge stared at them with her toad like smile.

"So! So… you think it amusing to turn a school corridor into a swamp, do you?"

"Pretty amusing, yeah," said Fred, looking back up at her without the slightest sign of fear.

Filch elbowed his way closer to Umbridge, almost crying with happiness.

"I've got the form, Headmistress," he said hoarsely, waving a piece of parchment. "I've got the form and I've got the whips waiting… Oh, let me do it now…"

"Very good, Argus," she said. "You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school."

"You know what?" said Fred. "I don't think we are."

He turned to his twin.

"George," said Fred, "I think we've outgrown full-time education."

"Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly.

"Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred.

"Definitely," said George.

And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wands and said together, "Accio Brooms!"

There was a loud crash somewhere in the distance and Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridge had fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor toward their owners. They turned left, streaked down the stairs, and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor.

"We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick.

"Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," said George, mounting his own.

Fred turned and took Alicia's hand to kiss the back of it and she smirked as he winked before looking around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd.

"If anyone fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three, Diagon Alley — Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes," he said in a loud voice. "Our new premises!"

"Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," added George, pointing at Professor Umbridge.

"STOP THEM!" shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd.

"Give her hell from us, Peeves."

And Peeves, whom had never take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55:

The story of Fred and George's flight to freedom was retold so often over the next few days that it was likely to soon become the stuff of Hogwarts legend. Within a week, even those who had been eyewitnesses were half-convinced that they had seen the twins dive-bomb Umbridge on their brooms, pelting her with Dungbombs before zooming out of the doors. In the immediate aftermath of their departure there was a great wave of talk about copying them, so that students were frequently saying things like, "Honestly, some days I just feel like jumping on my broom and leaving this place," or else, "One more lesson like that and I might just do a Weasley…"

Fred and George had made sure that nobody was likely to forget them very soon. For one thing, they had not left instructions on how to remove the swamp that now filled the corridor on the fifth floor of the east wing. Umbridge and Filch had been observed trying different means of removing it but without success. Eventually the area was roped off and Filch, gnashing his teeth furiously, was given the task of punting students across it to their classrooms. Teachers like McGonagall or Flitwick could have probably removed the swamp in an instant, but just as in the case of Fred and George's Wildfire Whiz-Bangs, they seemed to prefer to watch Umbridge struggle.

Then there were the two large broom-shaped holes in Umbridge's office door, through which Fred and George's Cleansweeps had smashed to rejoin their masters. Filch fitted a new door and removed Harry's Firebolt to the dungeons where, it was rumoured, Umbridge had set an armed security troll to guard it. However, her troubles were far from over.

Inspired by Fred and George's example, a great number of students were now vying for the newly vacant positions of Troublemakers-in-Chief. In spite of the new door, somebody managed to slip a hairy-snouted niffler into Umbridge's office, which promptly tore the place apart in its search for shiny objects, leapt on Umbridge on her reentrance, and tried to gnaw the rings off her stubby fingers. Dungbombs and Stinkpellets were dropped so frequently in the corridors that it became the new fashion for students to perform Bubble-Head Charms on themselves before leaving lessons, which ensured them a supply of fresh clean air, even though it gave them all the peculiar appearance of wearing upside-down goldfish bowls on their heads.

Filch prowled the corridors with a horsewhip ready in his hands, desperate to catch miscreants, but the problem was that there were now so many of them that he did not know which way to turn. The Inquisitorial Squad were attempting to help him, but odd things kept happening to its members. Warrington of the Slytherin Quidditch team reported to the hospital wing with a horrible skin complaint that made him look as though he had been coated in cornflakes. Pansy Parkinson, to Hermione's delight, missed all her lessons the following day, as she had sprouted antlers.

Meanwhile it became clear just how many Skiving Snackboxes Fred and George had managed to sell before leaving Hogwarts. Umbridge only had to enter her classroom for the students assembled there to faint, vomit, develop dangerous fevers, or else spout blood from both nostrils. Shrieking with rage and frustration she attempted to trace the mysterious symptoms to their source, but the students told her stubbornly they were suffering "Umbridge-itis." After putting four successive classes in detention and failing to discover their secret she was forced to give up and allow the bleeding, swooning, sweating, and vomiting students to leave her classes in droves.

But not even the users of the Snackboxes could compete with that master of chaos, Peeves, who seemed to have taken Fred's parting words deeply to heart. Cackling madly, he soared through the school, upending tables, bursting out of blackboards, and toppling statues and vases. Twice he shut Mrs. Norris inside suits of armour, from which she was rescued, yowling loudly, by the furious caretaker. He smashed lanterns and snuffed out candles, juggled burning torches over the heads of screaming students, caused neatly stacked piles of parchment to topple into fires or out of windows, flooded the second floor when he pulled off all the taps in the bathrooms, dropped a bag of tarantulas in the middle of the Great Hall during breakfast and, whenever he fancied a break, spent hours at a time floating along after Umbridge and blowing loud raspberries every time she spoke.

None of the staff but Filch seemed to be stirring themselves to help her. Indeed, a week after Fred and George's departure Harry witnessed Professor McGonagall walking right past Peeves, who was determinedly loosening a crystal chandelier, and could have sworn he heard her tell the poltergeist out of the corner of her mouth, "It unscrews the other way."

To cap matters, Montague had still not recovered from his sojourn in the toilet. He remained confused and disorientated and his parents were to be observed one Tuesday morning striding up the front drive, looking extremely angry.

"Should we say something?" said Hermione in a worried voice, pressing her cheek against the Charms window so that she could see Mr. and Mrs. Montague marching inside. "About what happened to him? In case it helps Madam Pomfrey cure him?"

" 'Course not, he'll recover," said Ron indifferently.

"Not like anyone can do anything if he did recover. Fred and George aren't here to be blamed after all." Alicia shrugged

"Anyway, more trouble for Umbridge, isn't it?" said Harry in a satisfied voice.

He and Ron both tapped the teacups they were supposed to be charming with their wands. Harry's spouted four very short legs that would not reach the desk and wriggled pointlessly in midair. Ron's grew four very thin spindly legs that hoisted the cup off the desk with great difficulty, trembled for a few seconds, then folded, causing the cup to crack into two.

" _Reparo_!" said Hermione quickly, mending Ron's cup with a wave of her wand. "That's all very well, but what if Montague's permanently injured?"

"Who cares?" said Ron irritably, while his teacup stood drunkenly again, trembling violently at the knees. "Montague shouldn't have tried to take all those points from Gryffindor, should he?"

"He got what he deserved for taking advantage. Or trying to." Alicia smirked as she caught her cup by the handle to stop it running off the edge of her desk, on it's perfect sturdy legs.

"If you want to worry about anyone, Hermione, worry about me!" Ron offered

"You?" she said, catching her teacup as it scampered happily away across the desk on four sturdy little willow-patterned legs and replacing it in front of her. "Why should I be worried about you?"

"When Mum's next letter finally gets through Umbridge's screening process," said Ron bitterly, now holding his cup up while its frail legs tried feebly to support its weight, "I'm going to be in deep trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if she's sent a Howler again."

"But —"

"It'll be my fault Fred and George left, you wait," said Ron darkly. "She'll say I should've stopped them leaving, I should've grabbed the ends of their brooms and hung on or something… Yeah, it'll be all my fault…"

"Well, if she does say that it'll be very unfair, you couldn't have done anything! But I'm sure she won't, I mean, if it's really true they've got premises in Diagon Alley now, they must have been planning this for ages.…"

"You can always blame me." Alicia told him

"Yeah, but that's another thing, how did they get premises?" said Ron, hitting his teacup so hard with his wand that its legs collapsed again and it lay twitching before him. "It's a bit dodgy, isn't it? They'll need loads of Galleons to afford the rent on a place in Diagon Alley, she'll want to know what they've been up to, to get their hands on that sort of gold…"

"Well, yes, that occurred to me too," said Hermione, allowing her teacup to jog in neat little circles around Harry's, whose stubby little legs were still unable to touch the desktop. "I've been wondering whether Mundungus has persuaded them to sell stolen goods or something awful…"

"He hasn't." Harry and Alicia chorused.

"How do you know?" said Ron and Hermione together.

"Because —" Harry hesitated, he looked at Alicia and she shrugged. They'd have to tell them eventually. And if the alternative was Fred and George were accused of being criminals… "Because they got the gold from me. I gave them my Triwizard winnings last June."

There was a shocked silence, then Hermione's teacup jogged right over the edge of the desk and smashed on the floor. Alicia repaired it and summoned it back.

"Oh, Harry, you _didn't_!" Hermione said.

"Yes, I did," said Harry mutinously. "And I don't regret it either — I didn't need the gold, and they'll be great at a joke shop…"

"Harry didn't want it and wanted to get rid of it so I suggested he gave it to Fred and George just after they'd been complaining about Bagman scamming them." Alicia explained

"I thought it was a good idea." Harry nodded

"But this is excellent!" said Ron, looking thrilled. "It's all your fault, Alicia. You gave Harry the idea and you didn't stop them despite being right next to them — Mum can't blame me at all! Can I tell her?"

"Go for it. She can't get angrier at me than she has been in the past." Alicia believed.

"Yeah, I suppose you'd better," said Harry dully. " 'Specially if she thinks they're receiving stolen cauldrons or something…"

Hermione said nothing at all for the rest of the lesson, but her self-restraint was bound to crack before long. Sure enough, once they had left the castle for break and were standing around in the weak May sunshine, she fixed Harry with a beady eye and opened her mouth with a determined air.

Harry interrupted her before she had even started.

"It's no good nagging me, it's done," he said firmly. "Fred and George have got the gold — spent a good bit of it too, by the sounds of it — and I can't get it back from them and I don't want to. So save your breath, Hermione."

"I wasn't going to say anything about Fred and George!" she said in an injured voice.

Ron snorted disbelievingly and Hermione threw him a very dirty look.

"No, I wasn't!" she said angrily. "As a matter of fact, I was going to ask Harry and Alicia when they're going to go back to Snape and ask for Occlumency lessons again!"

Alicia simply scoffed. "I'm sorry have you seen him, he's taken to ignoring Harry instead of tormenting him. He's not going to teach us anything." Alicia believed.

Harry had told the three about his talk with Sirius mere hours after Fred and George had left. He hadn't told Ron or Hermione about the real reason he wanted to talk and so told them Sirius wanted Harry to continue Occlumency lessons. In which Alicia wasn't surprised. Hermione hadn't let the subject drop since. When he'd had a spare moment however he had pulled Alicia aside and told her everything Sirius and Lupin had said, of which wasn't much different to what they'd said to her or what she'd assumed. It seemed neither had mentioned talking to her either or anything about the mirrors.

"You can't tell me you've stopped having funny dreams," Hermione said now, "because Ron told me last night you were muttering in your sleep again…"

Harry threw Ron a furious look. Ron had the grace to look ashamed of himself.

"You were only muttering a bit," he mumbled apologetically. "Something about 'just a bit farther.' "

"I dreamed I was watching you lot play Quidditch," Harry lied brutally. "I was trying to get you to stretch out a bit farther to grab the Quaffle."

Ron's ears went red. Alicia said nothing, she knew better than anyone that that was a lie. Of course she had managed to be dragged only into one other dream in which the journey through the shelves of spheres had progressed to a shelf number; ninety-seven.

"You are _trying_ to block your mind, aren't you?" said Hermione, looking beadily at Harry. "You are keeping going with your Occlumency?"

"Of course I am," said Harry, trying to sound as though this question was insulting, but not quite meeting her eye.

"And you're not seeing these dreams right Alicia?" she demanded

"Hermione, if Harry's not having them then neither and I. And besides, I'm better and keeping out of Harry's head then he is of keeping out of Voldemort's." she replied. "I have seen a few dreams about exams though…" she mumbled "They're actually a little stressful." Harry sighed as Hermione rolled her eyes and Ron nodded in agreement.

Exams were less than a month away and every free moment was devoted by the fifth years to studying for their O. .

"You know," said Ron, whose ears were still flaming red, "if Montague doesn't recover before Slytherin play Hufflepuff, we might be in with a chance of winning the Cup."

"Well Hufflepuffs gotten good enough that that's a chance anyway…" Alicia added

"Yeah, I s'pose so," said Harry, glad of a change of subject.

"I mean, we've won one, lost one — if Slytherin lose to Hufflepuff next Saturday —"

"Yeah, that's right," said Harry but Alicia instantly knew he wasn't paying attention as Cho walked past, ignoring him as usual. Hermione and Alicia shared a look but Alicia shook her head when Hermione went to comment.

The final match of the Quidditch season, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, was to take place on the last weekend of May. Although Slytherin had been narrowly defeated by Hufflepuff in their last match, Gryffindor was not daring to hope for victory, due mainly (though of course nobody said it to him) to Ron's abysmal goalkeeping record. He, however, seemed to have found a new optimism.

"I mean, I can't get any worse, can I?" he told Harry, Alicia and Hermione grimly over breakfast on the morning of the match. "Nothing to lose now, is there?"

"Of course not. And the best thing about rock bottom, is the only other place to go, is up!" Alicia said, trying to be cheerful in the fact that she was going to play quidditch and ignoring the fact that it could be a crap game.

Of course she liked the Ravenclaw team, though Cho was on it and the girl hadn't even spoken to Alicia since her fight with Harry.

 _Not that that matters when she's a seeker and I'm not. She can deal with Ginny instead._ Alicia smirked at the thought seeing as both had once been into Harry.

Alicia got changed and followed Angelina and the others outside with Ron and Ginny. Lee was commenting as usual, though there wasn't as much hype in his voice since Fred and George had left, and he called out all their names. Alicia mounted her broom and soared into the air as Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

"And they're off!" said Lee. "And Davies takes the Quaffle immediately, Ravenclaw Captain Davies with the Quaffle, he dodges Johnson, he dodges Bell, he dodges Potter as well… He's going straight for goal! He's going to shoot — and — and —" Lee swore very loudly. "And he's scored."

The rest of the Gryffindors all groaned. Predictably, horribly, the Slytherins on the other side of the stands began to sing:

 _Weasley cannot save a thing,_

 _He cannot block a single ring…_

Alicia wasn't going to let that stop her and she took the Quaffle from Ron. She flew through the air and dodged a chaser, dodged a bludger, passed to Katie as Davies shot at her, received it back and pelted with her firebolt straight for the goal. Lee's voice was gone as her concentration skyrocketed and before she could even count to three the Quaffle went through the goalpost. Alicia was determined to keep up with Ron's fails and make every one of his saves — if he managed to make one — count.

Ravenclaw had the Quaffle and Alicia soared after them as Ginny went past her in the opposite direction, looking for the snitch. Brady had the Quaffle and he headed straight from Ron after the three chasers had failed to intercept the Quaffle. Alicia got ready to receive the Quaffle from Ron.

"Ron saved it!" Lee's voice reached her as she'd come to a complete halt in surprise. Ron had the Quaffle in his hands. He'd been watching Brady and suddenly dived to his left and caught the Quaffle.

Alicia couldn't help it she flew forwards and pulled Ron into a hug.

"You did it! I knew you could!" She cheered as Ron looked at the Quaffle surprised. "Gotta make it count now." Alicia grinned and she took the Quaffle from Ron before pelting off down the other end of the pitch with Angelina and Katie who were also beaming, clearly feeling that little bit better.

Katie shot the next Gryffindor goal, putting them in the lead by ten.

Chambers went flying at Ron next and Angelina was right behind to receive the Quaffle.

Ron saved the Quaffle again.

Alicia grinned and she followed after Angelina with Katie to pocket another goal.

The game continued that way. After Ron had saved the first goal he continued to save more, and more and more. Alicia, Katie and Angelina scored over and over again, the Ravenclaw keeper managing to stop a few, but not nearly enough to let them catch up.

Alicia saw the snitch after about half an hour of the game and she caught Ginny's eye with what the Gryffindor's cheered at as a celebratory loop. She nodded her head and Ginny was gone after it.

Cho of course was doing her usual tactic of following the other seeker and followed Ginny as she darted for the snitch. For a second it seemed as though Cho might catch the snitch, but Ginny snatched it right out from under the girl's nose.

The Gryffindors roared in celebration and Lee's voice was drowned out despite his own cheering into the microphone. Angelina came right up to Alicia beaming and pulled her into a hug.

"We won!"

"We what?" Alicia asked shocked

"We won the cup!" Katie screamed before joining the two.

"You mean…" Alicia grasped the concept before she released the two and zoomed towards Ron who was looking confused.

"Ron! We won!" he looked at her as she shook his shoulder "Ron you won us the Quidditch cup!" she beamed at him.

The Gryffindors were running into the stadium and Alicia saw Cho throw down her broom before she'd even landed on the ground, her face was glittering. She'd clearly started crying again.

Alicia and Ron landed and Ron was swarmed by Gryffindors wearing red and gold. Alicia heard the son 'Weasley is our King', only the lyrics had now changed.

 _Weasley is our King,_

 _Weasley is our King,_

 _He didn't let the Quaffle in,_

 _Weasley is our King…_

 _Weasley can save anything,_

 _He never leaves a single ring_

 _That's why Gryffindors all sing:_

 _Weasley is our King._

Alicia laughed as she let them surround Ron and then lift him up onto their shoulders. McGonagall presented Angelina with the Quidditch Cup and she cheered and held it up for the Gryffindors to shout and cheer at. It was then passed along and given to Ron who held it up again.

Slytherins were all leaving in a huff and Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were congratulating Gryffindor as they began to move off. Alicia moved with them. clapping and singing as she glanced around for Harry and Hermione, but she couldn't seem to find them amongst the crowd. It wasn't until Ron shouted their names that she spotted them.

"HARRY! HERMIONE!" yelled Ron, waving the silver Quidditch Cup in the air and looking quite beside himself. "WE DID IT! WE WON!"

The two beamed up at him as he passed them on the Gryffindor's shoulders. There was a scrum at the door of the castle and Ron's head got rather badly bumped on the lintel, but nobody seemed to want to put him down. Still singing, the crowd squeezed itself into the entrance hall and out of sight.

Alicia joined Harry and Hermione ready to talk about how great Ron was and what a good game they'd finally had before she stopped. Harry and Hermione had twigs and leaves all through their hair, their robes were ripped in several places and they had scratches all over their faces and arms. They looked like they'd just trudged through a heap of bracken and brambles.

The two turned to her beaming but stopped when they saw her observing them and raised her eyebrows questionably.

"You get into a fight with a bush?" she asked.

The two shared a look.

"Hagrid came and found us." Harry began, clearly willing to explain despite the fact that, what ever he was going to say, was clearly not going to bring Alicia good news by the paleness of their faces. "Right after Davies goal. And he took us down into the forest." Alicia's eyebrows retreated up further.

"We know where's he getting all those injuries from." Hermione said looking fearful. "Alicia, he brought one of them back with him!" she said still looking shocked.

Alicia stared at her before her mouth dropped open.

"He WHAT?!" she shouted and the two shushed her as a few stragglers looked at her as they passed.

"That's why it took him so long to return." Harry nodded "It didn't want to come with him and he's tied it up to some trees."

"And that'll hold it!?" Alicia demanded

"His names Grawp and he's Hagrid's half brother. He's like sixteen feet tall! And doesn't understand english!" Hermione continued "Hagrid wants us to teach it to him."

" _What_?!" Alicia asked again.

"If he gets sacked and has to leave he wants us to look after him, just go and talk to him." Harry said

"In the midst of our exams? And we're much more breakable than he is, we wont coming out looking like he does we'll be smushed!" Alicia said her eyes wide.

"He made us promise before we even saw what it was about." Harry admitted. Now Alicia looked at him like he was stupid.

"Are you joking?" she asked and the two looked confused by her sudden tone. "Haven't you learnt not to promise Hagrid anything until after you know what the hell it is he's going on about? You know what he's like!"

The two frowned and shared a look.

"We promised for you too." Harry added.

Alicia looked like she was going to murder him.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56:

Ron's euphoria at helping Gryffindor scrape the Quidditch Cup was such that he could not settle to anything next day. All he wanted to do was talk over the match and Harry and Hermione found it very difficult to find an opening in which to mention Grawp — not that either of them tried very hard; neither was keen to be the one to bring Ron back to reality in quite such a brutal fashion. Alicia however made the decision that it was not her responsibility, still irritated at Hermione and Harry being so gullible as to give in to Hagrid so soon.

As it was another fine, warm day, the two persuaded him, and asked Alicia, to join them in studying under the beech tree on the edge of the lake, where they stood less chance of being overheard than in the common room. Ron was not particularly keen on this idea at first; he was thoroughly enjoying being patted on the back by Gryffindors walking past his chair, not to mention the occasional outbursts of "Weasley Is Our King," but agreed after a while that some fresh air might do him good.

They spread their books out in the shade of the beech tree and sat down while Ron talked them through his first save of the match for what felt like the dozenth time.

"Well, I mean, I'd already let in that one of Davies's, so I wasn't feeling that confident, but I dunno, when Bradley came toward me, just out of nowhere, I thought — _you can do this_! And I had about a second to decide which way to fly, you know, because he looked like he was aiming for the right goal hoop — my right, obviously, his left — but I had a funny feeling that he was feinting, and so I took the chance and flew left — his right, I mean — and — well — you saw what happened," he concluded modestly, sweeping his hair back quite unnecessarily so that it looked interestingly windswept and glancing around to see whether the people nearest to them — a bunch of gossiping third-year Hufflepuffs — had heard him.

Alicia stared at Ron for his actions as it reminded her so strongly of another Gryffindor who'd sat under this tree, hoping to be praised by fellow peers and had the habit of making his hair even more untidy than it naturally was. Harry beside her was grinning at Ron, probably remembering the same thing.

"And then, when Chambers came at me about five minutes later — what?" Ron said, stopping mid-sentence at the look on Harry's face. "Why are you grinning?"

"I'm not," said Harry quickly, looking down at his Transfiguration notes and attempting to straighten his face.

"Alicia, you're staring?" Ron told her

"Yeah…" she mumbled before smiling "Sorry you just did something that reminded me of someone else." she chuckled and Ron asked her who.

"Don't worry, you don't know him." she looked at Harry who smirked before turning back to Ron.

"I'm just glad we won." he said putting Ron back onto the original topic.

"Yeah," said Ron slowly, savouring the words, " _we won_. Did you see the look on Chang's face when Ginny got the Snitch right out from under her nose?"

"I suppose she cried, did she?" said Harry bitterly.

"Well, yeah — more out of temper than anything, though…" Ron frowned slightly. "But you saw her chuck her broom away when she got back to the ground, didn't you?"

"Er —" said Harry.

"Well, actually… no, Ron," said Hermione with a heavy sigh, putting down her book and looking at him apologetically. "As a matter of fact, the only bit of the match Harry and I saw was Davies's first goal."

Ron's carefully ruffled hair seemed to wilt with disappointment.

"You didn't watch?" he said faintly, looking from one to the other. "You didn't see me make any of those saves?"

"Well — no," said Hermione, stretching out a placatory hand toward him. "But Ron, we didn't want to leave — we had to!"

"Yeah?" said Ron, whose face was growing rather red. "How come?"

"It was Hagrid," said Harry. "He decided to tell us why he's been covered in injuries ever since he got back from the giants. He wanted us to go into the forest with him, we had no choice, you know how he gets… Anyway…"

The story was told in five minutes, by the end of which Ron's indignation had been replaced by a look of total incredulity.

" _He brought one back and hid it in the forest_?"

"Yep," said Harry grimly.

"No," said Ron, as though by saying this he could make it untrue. "No, he can't have…"

"Well, he has," said Hermione firmly. "Grawp's about sixteen feet tall, enjoys ripping up twenty-foot pine trees, and knows me," she snorted, "as _Hermy_." Ron gave a nervous laugh before looking at Alicia as though looking for her surprise to this story. She was reading her transfiguration notes.

"You're not surprised?" he asked her and she looked up.

"Ron they were covered in scratches and had twigs and leaves everywhere, I noticed they'd been anywhere but the stands the second I saw them. They told me yesterday." she shot the two a look.

"Why am I only finding out now?" Ron questioned

"You've been too hyped about your amazing saves to give them the chance." Alicia chuckled and he smirked slightly before shaking his head.

"But how could he…"

"He was worried about him, said Grawp was being bullied." Harry sighed

"And Hagrid wants us to…?"

"Teach him English, yeah," said Harry.

"He's lost his mind," said Ron in an almost awed voice.

"Yes," said Hermione irritably, turning a page of _Intermediate Transfiguration_ and glaring at a series of diagrams showing an owl turning into a pair of opera glasses. "Yes, I'm starting to think he has. But unfortunately, he made Harry and me promise."

"Well, you're just going to have to break your promise, that's all," said Ron firmly. "I mean, come on… We've got exams and we're about that far," he held up his hand to show thumb and forefinger a millimetre apart, "from being chucked out as it is. And anyway… remember Norbert? Remember Aragog? Have we ever come off better for mixing with any of Hagrid's monster mates?"

"I know, it's just that — we promised," said Hermione in a small voice.

"You know you should also consult people before you promise for them too!" Alicia said to then irritatedly. Harry and Hermione gave her a guilty look.

Ron smoothed his hair flat again, looking preoccupied.

"Well," he sighed, "Hagrid hasn't been sacked yet, has he? He's hung on this long, maybe he'll hang on till the end of term and we won't have to go near Grawp at all."

"There's the spirit!" Alicia grinned.

None of them had much hope in the idea though.

* * *

The castle grounds were gleaming in the sunlight as though freshly painted; the cloudless sky smiled at itself in the smoothly sparkling lake, the satin-green lawns rippled occasionally in a gentle breeze: June had arrived, but to the fifth years this meant only one thing: Their O.W.L.s were upon them at last.

Their teachers were no longer setting them homework; lessons were devoted to reviewing those topics their teachers thought most likely to come up in the exams. The purposeful, feverish atmosphere drove nearly everything but the O.W.L.s from Alicia's mind, which thankfully included Harry's dreams as Snape had not given either of them Occlumency lessons again. Much to both the twins relief, Hermione was much too preoccupied these days to badger Harry about Occlumency, giving them one less thing to worry about, though Harry also didn't need to worry about Snape harping on him, as the potions master continued to ignore the boy. Hermione did still annoy the boys at least, as Alicia wasn't sure how she felt about it, by spending a lot of time muttering to herself. She hadn't even laid out any elf clothes for days.

She was not the only person acting oddly as the O.W.L.s drew steadily nearer. Ernie Macmillan had developed an irritating habit of interrogating people about their study habits.

"How many hours d'you think you're doing a day?" he demanded of Harry and Ron as they queued outside Herbology, a manic gleam in his eyes.

"I dunno," said Ron. "A few…"

"More or less than eight?"

"Less, I s'pose," said Ron, looking slightly alarmed.

"I'm doing eight," said Ernie, puffing out his chest. "Eight or nine. I'm getting an hour in before breakfast every day. Eight's my average. I can do ten on a good weekend day. I did nine and a half on Monday. Not so good on Tuesday — only seven and a quarter. Then on Wednesday —"

Alicia just raised an eyebrow as Professor Sprout ushered them into greenhouse three, forcing Ernie to abandon his recital.

Meanwhile Draco Malfoy had found a different way to induce panic.

"Of course, it's not what you know," he was heard telling Crabbe and Goyle loudly outside Potions a few days before the exams were to start, "it's _who_ you know. Now, Father's been friendly with the head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority for years — old Griselda Marchbanks — we've had her round for dinner and everything…"

"Do you think that's true?" Hermione whispered to Harry and Ron, looking frightened.

"Nothing we can do about it if it is," said Ron gloomily.

"I don't think an examiner would be an examiner if they're that easily swayed." Alicia believed.

"I don't think it's true," said Neville quietly from behind them. "Because Griselda Marchbanks is a friend of my gran's, and she's never mentioned the Malfoys."

"What's she like, Neville?" asked Hermione at once. "Is she strict?"

"Bit like Gran, really," said Neville in a subdued voice.

"Knowing her won't hurt your chances though, will it?" Ron told him encouragingly.

"Oh, I don't think it will make any difference," said Neville, still more miserably. "Gran's always telling Professor Marchbanks I'm not as good as my dad… Well… you saw what she's like at St. Mungo's…"

Neville looked fixedly at the floor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at one another, but didn't know what to say. It was the first time that Neville had acknowledged that they had met at the Wizarding hospital. Alicia however hummed.

"She does have a strong air about her, proud and doesn't take crap from people. I feel like you wouldn't want to mess with her." Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at her surprised. Alicia grinned "If that's the case, she wont be swayed even if Malfoy did have her around for dinner."

Meanwhile a flourishing black-market trade in aids to concentration, mental agility, and wakefulness had sprung up among the fifth and seventh years. Harry and Ron were much tempted by the bottle of Baruffio's Brain Elixir offered to them by Ravenclaw sixth year Eddie Carmichael, who swore it was solely responsible for the nine "Outstanding" O.W.L.s he had gained the previous summer and was offering the whole pint for a mere twelve Galleons. Ron assured Harry he would reimburse him for his half the moment he left Hogwarts and got a job, but before they could close the deal, Hermione had confiscated the bottle from Carmichael and poured the contents down a toilet.

"Good riddance." Alicia said

"Hermione, we wanted to buy that!" shouted Ron.

"Don't be stupid," she snarled. "You might as well take Harold Dingle's powdered dragon claw and have done with it."

"Dingle's got powdered dragon claw?" said Ron eagerly.

"Not anymore," said Hermione. "I confiscated that too. None of these things actually works you know —"

"Dragon claw does work!" said Ron. "It's supposed to be incredible, really gives your brain a boost, you come over all cunning for a few hours — Hermione, let me have a pinch, go on, it can't hurt —"

"This stuff can," said Hermione grimly. "I've had a look at it, and it's actually dried doxy droppings."

This information took the edge off Harry and Ron's desire for brain stimulants.

"You guys don't need it anyway." Alicia said "You've been working hard and you can't do worse than Fred and George. And even if you do, look where they're at." Alicia smirked "It's not the end of the world."

They received their examination schedules and details of the procedure for O.W.L.s during their next Transfiguration lesson.

"As you can see," Professor McGonagall told the class while they copied down the dates and times of their exams from the blackboard, "your O.W.L.s are spread over two successive weeks. You will sit the theory exams in the mornings and the practice in the afternoons. Your practical Astronomy examination will, of course, take place at night.

"Now, I must warn you that the most stringent Anti-Cheating Charms have been applied to your examination papers. Auto-Answer Quills are banned from the examination hall, as are Remembralls, Detachable Cribbing Cuffs, and Self-Correcting Ink."

"I don't understand why rememballs are banned… they tell you nothing other than you've forgotten something, and how's that useful once you're already in the exam?" Alicia asked quietly. Ron and Harry shrugged.

"Every year," McGonagall continued "I am afraid to say, seems to harbour at least one student who thinks that he or she can get around the Wizarding Examinations Authority's rules. I can only hope that it is nobody in Gryffindor. Our new — headmistress" — Professor McGonagall pronounced the word with the same look on her face that Aunt Petunia had whenever she was contemplating a particularly stubborn bit of dirt — "has asked the Heads of House to tell their students that cheating will be punished most severely — because, of course, your examination results will reflect upon the headmistress's new regime at the school. …"

Professor McGonagall gave a tiny sigh and the nostrils of her sharp nose flare.

"Too bad we can't fail just to get to Umbridge." Alicia mumbled and Hermione looked at her alarmed she'd even think such a thing.

"However, that is no reason not to do your very best. You have your own futures to think about." The Professor clearly agreed with Alicia.

"Please, Professor," said Hermione, her hand in the air, "when will we find out our results?"

"An owl will be sent to you some time in July," said Professor McGonagall.

"Excellent," said Dean Thomas in an audible whisper, "so we don't have to worry about it till the holidays…"

"At least I'll have people to console me if something goes wrong." Alicia mumbled and Ron and Harry looked at her. "I said 'if'." she reminded them.

Their first exam, Theory of Charms, was scheduled for Monday morning. Harry agreed to test Hermione after lunch on Sunday but regretted it almost at once. She was very agitated and kept snatching the book back from him to check that she had gotten the answer completely right, finally hitting him hard on the nose with the sharp edge of _Achievements in Charming_.

"Why don't you just do it yourself?" he said firmly, handing the book back to her, his eyes watering.

"Oh give it here!" Alicia demanded and she snatched the book, moving it away when Hermione tried to grab it. Alicia quizzed her and she didn't let Hermione see the book at all until she could get the answers completely right, by herself.

Meanwhile Ron was reading two years of Charms notes with his fingers in his ears, his lips moving soundlessly; Seamus was lying flat on his back on the floor, reciting the definition of a Substantive Charm, while Dean checked it against _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5_ ; and Parvati and Lavender, who were practicing basic locomotion charms, were making their pencil cases race each other around the edge of the table.

Dinner was a subdued affair that night. Harry and Ron did not talk much, but ate with gusto, having studied hard all day. Alicia had her book in front of her as she ate, reading and eating, an impervious charm on the book in case it got dirty. Hermione on the other hand kept putting down her knife and fork and diving under the table for her bag, from which she would seize a book to check some fact or figure. Ron was just telling her that she ought to eat a decent meal or she would not sleep that night, when her fork slid from her limp fingers and landed with a loud tinkle on her plate.

"Oh, my goodness," she said faintly, staring into the entrance hall. "Is that them? Is that the examiners?"

Alicia looked up so quickly her neck clicked and Harry and Ron whipped around on their bench. Through the doors to the Great Hall they could see Umbridge standing with a small group of ancient-looking witches and wizards. Umbridge looked rather nervous.

"Shall we go and have a closer look?" said Ron.

The three nodded and and they hastened toward the double doors into the entrance hall, slowing down as they stepped over the threshold to walk sedately past the examiners. Harry thought Professor Marchbanks must be the tiny, stooped witch with a face so lined it looked as though it had been draped in cobwebs; Umbridge was speaking to her very deferentially. Professor Marchbanks seemed to be a little deaf; she was answering Umbridge very loudly considering that they were only a foot apart.

"Journey was fine, journey was fine, we've made it plenty of times before!" she said impatiently. "Now, I haven't heard from Dumbledore lately!" she added, peering around the hall as though hopeful he might suddenly emerge from a broom cupboard. "No idea where he is, I suppose?"

"None at all," said Umbridge, shooting a malevolent look at Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione, who were now dawdling around the foot of the stairs as Ron pretended to do up his shoelace. "But I daresay the Ministry of Magic will track him down soon enough…"

Alicia scoffed lowly.

"I doubt it," shouted tiny Professor Marchbanks, "not if Dumbledore doesn't want to be found! I should know… Examined him personally in Transfiguration and Charms when he did N.E.W.T.s… Did things with a wand I'd never seen before…"

Alicia was surprised to think this women was that old, though she did look it.

"Yes… well…" said Professor Umbridge as Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione dragged their feet up the marble staircase as slowly as they dared, "let me show you to the staffroom… I daresay you'd like a cup of tea after your journey…"

"And I'm feeling nervous." Alicia said as they reached the top of the stairs. The three looked at her and she took a deep breath. She remembered how her father had been while doing his O.W.L and how chilled Sirius was, leaning back in his seat at the table. Even Lupin was calm.

Did she know as much as them? she wondered. She definitely knew she knew a lot.

Hermione patted her back and Harry placed his arm around her to move her with them towards the Gryffindor tower as she consoled herself and reminded herself everything was fine.

It was an uncomfortable sort of an evening. Everyone was trying to do some last-minute studying but nobody seemed to be getting very far. Harry went to bed early and Alicia was slightly disappointed, she had sort of been planning on stealing his mirror again to have Sirius comfort her. She didn't want to ask him for it as he didn't need the distraction.

"I don't see why he's worried, he's got a connection with you and can just use your answers." Ron grumbled to Alicia. Hermione looked disappointed.

"Ron that's cheating!"

"No point worrying, Harry never learnt how to get into my head anyway." Alicia shrugged

"But this may be when he really needs to." Ron pointed out "Nothing better than motivation, worked for you didn't it?" Alicia rolled her eyes.

"That was slightly more different." she thought.

When she did go to bed though her mind reeled with information and kept her awake for hours. Finally she managed to drift off to sleep by thinking of what the Weasley twins' new premises in Diagon Alley might look like and her visits on the Knight Bus to see it.

None of the fifth years talked very much at breakfast the next day either. Parvati was practicing incantations under her breath while the salt cellar in front of her twitched, Hermione was rereading _Achievement in Charming_ so fast that her eyes appeared blurred, and Neville kept dropping his knife and fork and knocking over the marmalade.

Once breakfast was over, the fifth and seventh years milled around in the entrance hall while the other students went off to lessons. Then, at half-past nine, they were called forward class by class to reenter the Great Hall, which was now arranged exactly as Harry and Alicia had seen it in the Pensieve when their father, Sirius, and Snape had been taking their O.W.L.s. The four House tables had been removed and replaced instead with many tables for one, all facing the staff-table end of the Hall where Professor McGonagall stood facing them.

"Where to you reckon they put the tables?" Alicia whispered ever so softly.

When they were all seated and quiet Professor McGonagall said, "You may begin," and turned over an enormous hourglass on the desk beside her, on which were also spare quills, ink bottles, and rolls of parchment.

Alicia took a deep breath to calm her acing heart and turned over the paper. She read the first question, _a) Give the incantation, and b) describe the wand movement required to make objects fly…_ Alicia didn't even need to think about that one. They'd learnt it their first year and it had stuck by Ron using it to bash a troll over the head with it's own club. Smirking, she answered the question and moved on.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57:

"Well it wasn't too bad, was it?" asked Hermione anxiously in the entrance hall two hours later, still clutching the exam paper. "I'm not sure I did myself justice on Cheering Charms, I just ran out of time — did you put in the countercharm for hiccups? I wasn't sure whether I ought to, it felt like too much — and on question twenty-three —"

"Hermione," said Ron sternly, "we've been through this before… We're not going through every exam afterward, it's bad enough doing them once."

"Yeah give them a break," Alicia said grinning slightly. She felt rather good about her exam and was now waiting for the practical, in which she'd always enjoyed.

The fifth years ate lunch with the rest of the school (the four House tables reappeared over the lunch hour) and then trooped off into the small chamber beside the Great Hall, where they were to wait until called for their practical examination. As small groups of students were called forward in alphabetical order, those left behind muttered incantations and practiced wand movements, occasionally poking one another in the back or eye by mistake.

Hermione's name was called. Trembling, she left the chamber with Anthony Goldstein, Gregory Goyle, and Daphne Greengrass. Students who had already been tested did not return afterward, so Harry, Alicia and Ron had no idea how Hermione had done.

"She'll be fine — remember she got a hundred and twelve percent on one of our Charms tests?" said Ron.

"I'm surprised you remember that." Alicia admitted.

Ten minutes later, Professor Flitwick called, "Parkinson, Pansy — Patil, Padma — Patil, Parvati — Potter, Alicia — Potter, Harry."

"I totally forgot we'd do it together." Alicia mumbled as she looked at Harry.

"Even though your name wasn't called at 'E'?" Harry asked

"Yes." she nodded and Harry grinned.

"Good luck," said Ron quietly. Alicia gave him a wink and she and Harry walked into the Great Hall. Alicia's heart began to race again and she flexed her fingers around her wand.

Flitwick directed them to examiners and Alicia moved to stand before the one he pointed to for her.

"Potter huh?" the women smiled and looked her over with interest "Yes I read that article, bit of a surprise but it does make sense that if one survived you both would, even if no one knows how." Alicia smiled at her, choosing not to respond with words.

"Nervous?"

"I've always liked charms, but maybe a little bit." Alicia confessed and she nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll do fine… now, if I could ask you to take this eggcup and make it do some cartwheels for me…"

Alicia did as she was asked and followed it up with the Levitation Charm, Colour-changing and growth charms successfully, receiving a praise from the examiner before she was released from the practical exam.

"Okay, one subject done." she said when Harry joined her in the entrance hall and she shook her hands and jumped up and down for a second. "Feeling good, but move on." she directed before she lead the way, Harry following her as he chuckled at her antics, to the Gryffindor common room.

There was no time to relax that night — they went straight to the common room after dinner and submerged themselves in studying for Transfiguration next day. Alicia dreamt about the exam in her sleep.

She remembered definitions of spells to answer the theory exam the next morning and transfigured her ferret perfectly. Hannah Abbott however, who was on the table beside Harry, who was working on an iguana, lost her head completely and somehow managed to multiply her ferret into a flock of flamingos, causing the examination to be halted for ten minutes while the birds were captured and carried out of the Hall.

They had their Herbology exam on Wednesday and then, on Thursday, Defence Against the Dark Arts. Alicia took much pleasure in her written exam and her practical was even more successful as she performed all the counterjinxes and defensive spells right in front of Umbridge, who was watching coolly from near the doors into the entrance hall.

"Of Excellent very excellent." the examiner said to her when she'd finished and she smiled. "Right— oh!" Alicia turned to see a silver stag patronus running the length of the Great Hall. "Well I'll say."

"Such a show off." Alicia shook her head

"Oh?" the examiner asked her curiously

"It's my brother's patronus,"

"Harry Potter's?" and Alicia nodded "I didn't know he could produce a patronus?"

"Well we had a bit of trouble with dementors in our third year, when they were placed around Hogwarts looking for Sirius Black. Professor Lupin taught Harry and I the Patronus charm to help us." she explained

"Both of you?" Alicia nodded again. "Well I'd love to see." Alicia looked surprised but she flicked her wand and the silver substance turned into an owl that flew over the two's head and then settled on the desk, glowing brilliantly.

"Oh how wonderful!" Alicia shrugged as her owl vanished. "You may go now dear." Alicia nodded, thanked the women and turned for the Entrance Hall.

"You're such a show off." Alicia said to Harry when she joined him.

"I'm sorry? Me?"

"I only did it cause I explained how you could do one." Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Well he offered me a bonus point." he shrugged grinning and Alicia grinned as she gasped.

"That's so cheating!" Harry just grinned.

"Well, I think I may have gotten an 'Outstanding' in that one." he whispered very quietly

"No reason you couldn't have." Alicia nodded.

Harry and Ron had Friday off from exams while Alicia and Hermione sat their Ancient Runes exam, in which Alicia was rather happy with. Hermione however was not as happy as Alicia and continued to complain about how she mistranslated 'ehmaz'.

"Hermione, one mark, out of how many!?" Alicia demanded after Hermione had repeated her frustration for the tenth time.

As the two walked down the corridor they heard a shriek and stopped in absolute shock. The girls shared a look before they ran forwards to arrive at Umbridge's office. Alicia smirked as she heard the cries and shrieks while Hermione looked concerned.

"Another niffler?" she questioned

"Someone really thinks they're getting the job done." Alicia snickered.

"It's not good Alicia, she'll suspect Hagrid."

"Come on Hermione if it's anything like the other years she wont even make it through this term. Even if she does Dumbledore will be back." Alicia assured.

Hermione didn't say anything but continued walking as Alicia grinned back at Umbridge's office as she followed.

Ron spoke first when the two reached the common room, he clearly decided to ignore Hermione's obviously bad temper and asked her how the exam went. He wasn't paying much attention though as the two boys were playing chess.

"How were the runes?" said Ron, yawning and stretching.

"I mistranslated 'ehwaz,' " said Hermione furiously. "It means 'partnership,' not 'defence,' I mixed it up with 'eihwaz.' "

"Ah well," said Ron lazily, "that's only one mistake, isn't it, you'll still get —"

"Oh shut up," said Hermione angrily, "it could be the one mistake that makes the difference between a pass and a fail. And what's more, someone's put another niffler in Umbridge's office, I don't know how they got it through that new door, but I just walked past there and Umbridge is shrieking her head off — by the sound of it, it tried to take a chunk out of her leg —"

"Good," said Harry and Ron together.

"My thoughts." Alicia grinned

"It is _not_ good!" said Hermione hotly. "She thinks it's Hagrid doing it, remember? And we do not want Hagrid chucked out!"

"He's teaching at the moment, she can't blame him," said Harry, gesturing out of the window. Alicia glanced to see Hagrid was, indeed, with a class.

"Oh, you're so _naive_ sometimes, Harry, you really think Umbridge will wait for proof?" said Hermione, who seemed determined to be in a towering temper, and she swept off toward the girls' dormitories, banging the door behind her.

"Such a lovely, sweet-tempered girl," said Ron, very quietly, prodding his queen forward so that she could begin beating up one of Harry's knights.

"Yeah…" Alicia mumbled.

"Well how'd you go?" Harry wondered

"I'm quite pleased." Alicia grinned "And if it means getting under Umbridge's skin then god I'll get an 'Outstanding' in everything!"

"Hear, hear!" the boys chorused as she grinned.

Hermione's bad mood persisted for most of the weekend, though Harry, Alicia and Ron found it quite easy to ignore as they spent most of Saturday and Sunday studying for Potions on Monday,

The exam was rather difficult but Alicia moved through it like she did the others. She was very pleased with the question on polyjuice potion however as the four of them had taken the stuff illegally in their second year and knew it's effects first hand.

The practical in the afternoon was rather enjoyable to Alicia. Snape wasn't around criticising people or distract anyone and when she had a glance around she noticed that Harry and even Neville seemed to be enjoying themselves.

When Professor Marchbanks said, "Step away from your cauldrons, please, the examination is over," Alicia corked her sample proudly and left with everyone else.

"Only four exams left," said Parvati Patil wearily as they headed back to Gryffindor common room.

"Only!" said Hermione snappishly. " _I've_ got Arithmancy and it's probably the toughest subject there is!"

Nobody was foolish enough to snap back, no one except, of course, Alicia, who felt the girl needed to vent out her worries and frustrations.

"Well you shouldn't have picked the subject then if you're that worried." Hermione went off about the importance of Arithmancy and rambled so much that people moved away and avoided her as to not cop her anger. Despite being able to let lose, she still told first years off for giggling too loudly in the common room as they studied to Care of Magical Creatures which was tomorrow's exam.

The practical examination took place in the afternoon on the lawn on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where students were required to correctly identify the knarl hidden among a dozen hedgehogs (the trick was to offer them all milk in turn: knarls, highly suspicious creatures whose quills had many magical properties, generally went berserk at what they saw as an attempt to poison them); then demonstrate correct handling of a bowtruckle, feed and clean a fire-crab without sustaining serious burns, and choose, from a wide selection of food, the diet they would give a sick unicorn.

Harry could see Hagrid watching anxiously out of his cabin window. Alicia made sure to give Hagrid a happy and positive look when she was allowed to leave the examination and she saw Harry give him the thumbs up as he did the same.

The Astronomy theory exam on Wednesday morning went well enough; Alicia wrote down Jupiter's many moons, and they then had to wait until evening for their practical Astronomy; the afternoon was devoted instead to Divination for the boys and Arithmancy for the girls.

Harry and Ron finished their Divination before Alicia and Hermione finished Arithmancy, as they caught them as they ran up the marble staircase, Harry was laughing so Alicia assumed the exam either went well or they didn't care for the subject as usual. When he saw Hermione however, he immediately stopped laughing, worried she'd snap at them.

"Well, I think I've done all right in Arithmancy," she said, and Harry and Ron both sighed with relief.

"See all that worrying for no reason." Alicia said grinning and Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled slightly.

"Just time for a quick look over our star charts before dinner, then…"

When they reached the top of the Astronomy Tower at eleven o'clock they found a perfect night for stargazing, cloudless and still. The grounds were bathed in silvery moonlight, and there was a slight chill in the air. Each of them set up his or her telescope and, when Professor Marchbanks gave the word, proceeded to fill in the blank star chart he or she had been given.

Professors Marchbanks and Tofty strolled among them, watching as they entered the precise positions of the stars and planets they were observing. All was quiet except for the rustle of parchment, the occasional creak of a telescope as it was adjusted on its stand, and the scribbling of many quills. Half an hour passed, then an hour; the little squares of reflected gold light flickering on the ground below, started to vanish as lights in the castle windows were extinguished.

Alicia was happily filling in the star chart when the castle doors opened and flooded the ground, she saw people walking down the stone steps and returned to her exam until a loud knock echoed across the grounds. All she had to do was look up at Hagrid's cabin to see the lights turn on and the people were let inside. Alicia continued, glancing every now and then towards Hagrid's cabin before a sudden roar sounded all over the grounds from it and Alicia and Harry were not the only ones to look up from their telescopes. Professor Tofty gave another dry little cough.

"Try and concentrate, now, boys and girls," he said softly.

Most people returned to their telescopes. Harry looked to his left. Hermione was gazing transfixed at Hagrid's.

"Ahem — twenty minutes to go," said Professor Tofty.

Hermione jumped and returned at once to her star chart; Harry and Alicia shared a look before returning only to be interrupted yet again when there was a loud BANG from the grounds. Several people said "Ouch!" as they poked themselves in the face with the ends of their telescopes, hastening to see what was going on below.

Hagrid's door had burst open and by the light flooding out of the cabin they saw him quite clearly, a massive figure roaring and brandishing his fists, surrounded by six people, all of whom, judging by the tiny threads of red light they were casting in his direction, seemed to be attempting to Stun him.

"No!" cried Hermione.

"My dear!" said Professor Tofty in a scandalised voice. "This is an examination!"

But nobody was paying the slightest attention to their star charts anymore: Jets of red light were still flying beside Hagrid's cabin, yet somehow they seemed to be bouncing off him. He was still upright and still fighting. Cries and yells echoed across the grounds; a man yelled, "Be reasonable, Hagrid!" and Hagrid roared, "Reasonable be damned, yeh won' take me like this, Dawlish!"

The tiny outline of Fang was attempting to defend Hagrid, leaping at the wizards surrounding him until a Stunning Spell caught him and he fell to the ground. Hagrid gave a howl of fury, lifted the culprit bodily from the ground, and threw him: The man flew what looked like ten feet and did not get up again. Hermione gasped, both hands over her mouth; Harry looked around at Ron and saw that he too was looking scared. Alicia just had her mouth dropped open at the scene shocked. None of them had ever seen Hagrid in a real temper before…

"Look!" squealed Parvati, who was leaning over the parapet and pointing to the foot of the castle where the front doors seemed to have opened again; more light had spilled out onto the dark lawn and a single long black shadow was now rippling across the lawn.

"Now, really!" said Professor Tofty anxiously. "Only sixteen minutes left, you know!"

But nobody paid him the slightest attention: They were watching the person now sprinting toward the battle beside Hagrid's cabin.

"How dare you!" the figure shouted as she ran. "How _dare_ you!"

"It's McGonagall!" whispered Hermione.

"Leave him alone! _Alone_ , I say!" said Professor McGonagall's voice through the darkness. "On what grounds are you attacking him? He has done nothing, nothing to warrant such —"

Hermione, Parvati, and Lavender all screamed. No fewer than four Stunners had shot from the figures around the cabin toward Professor McGonagall. Halfway between cabin and castle the red beams collided with her. For a moment she looked luminous, illuminated by an eerie red glow, then was lifted right off her feet, landed hard on her back, and moved no more.

"Galloping gargoyles!" shouted Professor Tofty, who seemed to have forgotten the exam completely. "Not so much as a warning! Outrageous behaviour!"

"COWARDS!" bellowed Hagrid, his voice carrying clearly to the top of the tower, and several lights flickered back on inside the castle. "RUDDY COWARDS! HAVE SOME O' THAT — AN' THAT —"

"Oh my —" gasped Hermione.

Alicia wanted nothing better than to do something herself but was just too stunned by the scene they were all observing to even think of what she could do.

Hagrid took two massive swipes at his closest attackers; judging by their immediate collapse, they had been knocked cold. He doubled over at one stage as though he had finally been overcome by a spell, but on the contrary, next moment Hagrid was standing again with what appeared to be a sack on his back, Fang's limp body was draped around his shoulders.

"Get him, get him!" screamed Umbridge, but her remaining helper seemed highly reluctant to go within reach of Hagrid's fists. Indeed, he was backing away so fast he tripped over one of his unconscious colleagues and fell over. Hagrid had turned and begun to run with Fang still hung around his neck; Umbridge sent one last Stunning Spell after him but it missed, and Hagrid, running full-pelt toward the distant gates, disappeared into the darkness.

There was a long minute's quivering silence, everybody gazing openmouthed into the grounds. Then Professor Tofty's voice said feebly, "Um… five minutes to go, everybody…"

Alicia bent to her chart and madly started to fill in what she had left, but all she wanted was to finish the exam now. When it came at last she, Harry, Ron, and Hermione forced their telescopes haphazardly back into their holders and dashed back down the spiral staircase. None of the students were going to bed — they were all talking loudly and excitedly at the foot of the stairs about what they had witnessed.

"That evil woman!" gasped Hermione, who seemed to be having difficulty talking due to rage. "Trying to sneak up on Hagrid in the dead of night!"

"She clearly wanted to avoid another scene like Trelawney's," said Ernie Macmillan sagely, squeezing over to join them.

"Hagrid did well, didn't he?" said Ron, who looked more alarmed than impressed. "How come all the spells bounced off him?"

"It'll be his giant blood," said Hermione shakily. "It's very hard to Stun a giant, they're like trolls, really tough… But poor Professor McGonagall.… Four Stunners straight in the chest, and she's not exactly young, is she?"

"She is an incredibly strong women though." Alicia said "I wouldn't be surprised if she was up again in no time."

"Dreadful, dreadful," said Ernie, shaking his head pompously. "Well, I'm off to bed'… 'Night, all…"

People around them were drifting away, still talking excitedly about what they had just seen.

"At least they didn't get to take Hagrid off to Azkaban," said Ron. "I 'spect he's gone to join Dumbledore, hasn't he?"

"I suppose so," said Hermione, who looked tearful. "Oh, this is awful, I really thought Dumbledore would be back before long, but now we've lost Hagrid too…"

They traipsed back to the Gryffindor common room to find it full. The commotion out in the grounds had woken several people, who had hastened to rouse their friends. Seamus and Dean, who had arrived ahead of Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione, were now telling everyone what they had heard from the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"But why sack Hagrid now?" asked Angelina Johnson, shaking her head. "It's not like Trelawney, he's been teaching much better than usual this year!"

"Umbridge hates part-humans," said Hermione bitterly, flopping down into an armchair. "She was always going to try and get Hagrid out."

"And she thought Hagrid was putting nifflers in her office," piped up Katie Bell.

"Oh blimey," said Lee Jordan, covering his mouth. "It's me's been putting the nifflers in her office, Fred and George left me a couple, I've been levitating them in through her window…"

Alicia couldn't help but laugh and clapped him on the shoulder.

"She'd have sacked him anyway," said Dean. "He was too close to Dumbledore."

"That's true," said Harry, sinking into an armchair beside Hermione's.

"I just hope Professor McGonagall's all right," said Lavender tearfully.

"They carried her back up to the castle, we watched through the dormitory window," said Colin Creevey "She didn't look very well…"

"Madam Pomfrey will sort her out," said Katie Bell firmly. "She's never failed yet."

"And this is McGonagall we're talking about." Alicia added "When has anything ever taken her out?" many nodded.

It was nearly four in the morning before the common room cleared and Alicia did not feel she had had nearly enough sleep to be able to function in an exam. Their final exam, History of Magic, was not to take place until that afternoon. Alicia was sorely tempted to stay in bed and sleep off last nights events but Hermione by no means would let her.

The fifth years entered the Great Hall at two o'clock and took their places in front of their overturned examination papers. As soon as it was over, Alicia and Ron had agreed to take Harry down to the Quidditch pitch and let him have a fly around on their brooms as he had not done so since the first game against Slytherin. It was a celebration for having finished their O.W.L exams.

"Turn over your papers," said Professor Marchbanks from the front of the Hall, flicking over the giant hourglass. "You may begin…"

Alicia had to strain slightly to concentrate, her drowsiness from the night before catching up. The first question took a little bit more concentration to get her going. She found once she'd answered a few of the questions she began to concentrate better. And then she could feel that Harry behind her, was not. He continued to stare at several different things instead of concentrating on his paper. Alicia was more than half way through her's before she sighed.

 _You're not doing the exam?_ Harry looked up at her and she turned her head slightly to glance at him. I know you know most of these. he looked at her as though he'd hit a light bulb and she scowled. _You want me to give you the answers?_

 _Well if I know them…_

 _You wouldn't need me._ Harry turned away from her annoyed as she continued.

He didn't seem to preserver any further as Alicia continued moving through the paper.

And then her head began to pound. Before long she couldn't read the questions in front of her and she had to shake her head to try and get her to focus. Something was pushing against her skull.

She turned and saw Harry and fallen asleep and she knew exactly what it was that was pounding at her brain.

She pushed against it but her eyes were clouded through the expansion that seemed to be happening in her head.

She couldn't help it and she closed her eyes.

Harry had moved through the Department of Mysteries and down isle ninety-seven and before him was a shape on the floor at the very end, a black shape moving upon the floor like a wounded animal…

A voice issued from her own mouth, a high, cold voice empty of any human kindness, "Take it for me… Lift it down, now… I cannot touch it… but you can…"

Why? Why did this person have to take it for Voldemort, why could he not touch the spheres? That was all that was around them on the shelves.

The black shape upon the floor shifted a little. A long-fingered white hand clutching a wand rise… the high, cold voice said, " _Crucio_!"

The man on the floor let out a scream of pain, attempted to stand but fell back, writhing. Laughing sounded. The wand raised, the curse lifted, and the figure groaned and became motionless.

"Lord Voldemort is waiting…"

This wasn't right… how could Voldemort have gotten into the Ministry? Then again he slipped a snake in… but that was less obvious than a tall pale-white, red-eyed person. And it was the middle of the day, the Ministry would be full!

Very slowly, his arms trembling, the man on the ground raised his shoulders a few inches and lifted his head. His face was bloodstained and gaunt, twisted in pain yet rigid with defiance…

"You'll have to kill me," whispered Sirius.

No! Alicia thought. He couldn't have Sirius! It was impossible!

"Undoubtedly I shall in the end," said the cold voice. "But you will fetch it for me first, Black… You think you have felt pain thus far? Think again… We have hours ahead of us and nobody to hear you scream…"

But somebody screamed as Voldemort lowered his wand again; somebody yelled and fell sideways off a hot desk onto the cold stone floor. Harry hit the ground and awoke, still yelling, his scar on fire, as the Great Hall erupted all around him.

Alicia had her hands grabbed at her black hair, all of it falling around her face as tears fell down her face, she felt like she'd shouted, her throat slightly hoarse. She was ignoring the fire in her neck, it wasn't nearly as painful as the idea of what was happening, what could happen. The thought of what she'd seen and it's outcome…


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58:

Harry was escorted out of the Great Hall by Professor Tofty. Alicia was still sitting with her hands grabbed at her skull. The forcefulness of the vision from Harry into her head made her feel like she wanted to pass out. But the pain was subsiding like the burning in her neck was.

"Dear?" Alicia suddenly looked up and the women looked shocked by the tears streaking down her face. "You shouted. Are you alright?"

Alicia shook her head quickly.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I mean, I was just…" she couldn't get her thoughts arranged to answer.

Sirius. Sirius was he… he was being… but how could he have…?

Her mind was reeling.

"Come on dear," she was helped from her seat and escorted from the hall after Harry and she glanced Hermione and Ron staring at her but didn't do anything to explain.

"I think you need to just breath, calm down, get a glass of water," she suggested "You may return when your ready." Alicia shook her head

"No, no I… I can't do much more." she lied, though she had been rather far into the exam she had not finished.

"Alright then, I suggest you go and lie down yes?" Alicia nodded and turned for the marble staircase.

Harry had clearly gone as Professor Tofty had walked in as she'd walked out. But where he'd gone she couldn't fathom right now. Her thoughts whirled through what she'd seen and her exams, she couldn't make any sense of it all. She needed to calm down and just take a breath, let her mind catch up, but her heart was beating much too fast.

Alicia didn't go to the common room, she knew it was full. She needed to think and for that she needed quiet.

She ended up on the seventh floor and in the Room of Requirement as the bell rang, the same library look it held was present when ever she was within the room by herself.

"Voldemort has Sirius." she whispered "No. He can't have. Sirius isn't stupid enough to leave Grimmauld Place. And Voldemort can't get in, only Dumbledore could let him." she whispered as she tried to make sense.

"Even if he did have Sirius, why Sirius? How on earth could he help? He could take any wizard and make it so much easier to get in to the Ministry, any Order member. Sirius is too smart to let this happen to him." Alicia mumbled "And if Voldemort can't get what ever it is than how on earth could Sirius?"

Alicia wanted to go an tell someone, but she had no idea who to go and talk to, Dumbledore wasn't here, McGonagall was…

Alicia left the room for the Hospital Wing. But when she arrived Madam Pomfry told her she'd gone to St Mungo's.

"What is it with you and Potter?" she demanded and Alicia looked at her surprised before she turned and left. Instantly she pushed her way into Harry's head and found him in a classroom where he was yelling at Hermione as Ginny and Luna walked into the room.

"There's no need to take that tone with me," Ginny said coolly. "I was only wondering whether I could help."

"Well, you can't," said Harry shortly.

"You're being rather rude, you know," said Luna serenely.

Alicia walked in behind the two and shut the door.

"Where have you been!?" Harry suddenly demanded at her as though she was in serious trouble and didn't have her priorities right.

The anger that flashed through Alicia at his tone made everyone step away from standing between them.

"Are you kidding me?!" she said her voice very soft. "You run off to the Hospital Wing without telling me and then hide in a classroom and have the gaul to tell me off!?" she demanded her voice getting more shrill. "If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have had to leave my exam early before finishing, I wouldn't have had my skull feel like it was going to blow open as you pushed that damn vision into my head!" she advanced on Harry as she spoke.

"That doesn't matter!" Harry believed "Sirius—"

"No." Alicia returned and everyone stared shocked, but not nearly as surprised as Harry. "Just no. I will not believe that Sirius is in the bloody Ministry where he will get the dementors kiss the second he's found or that Voldemort managed to sneak him in. I will also not believe that Sirius is stupid enough to leave Grimmauld Place."

"We saw what happened!?" Harry shouted again

"Yeah and you know what this time it was different!" Alicia shouted back and Harry looked outraged.

"Exactly Sirius is in trouble and you don't even care!" Alicia actually made a reach for her wand and both Hermione and Ron grabbed her arms instantly to stop her, fear showing in both their faces as they looked between the two.

"Every time you fall asleep and have a stupid vision of this hallway, which you want to see the outcome of, I see it too. You didn't want to block that hallway out you wanted to see what it was Voldemort wanted because no one would tell you. When dreaming there's less defences to keep me out of your head, but also to keep Voldemort out. I however actually practiced Occlumency and gave it a try unlike you, who just let his emotions cloud his mind and ended up failing and loosing the only teacher he could have because of his stupid nosiness!" Hermione and Ron looked between the two confused, still holding Alicia's arms. "So I don't go wondering into your mind and I can have some corridor-less sleeps if I want. This time however you actually forced that damn scene into my head. I felt it when you started watching and my head began to pound like my brain was too big for my skull and it was going to explode! You — forced — your — way — into — my — head!" Alicia said strongly, and slowly, so he'd get the picture. "Now considering you can't even do Occlumency there's no way you can do Legilimency without trying. You have never been able to get into my head. Nor have you tried so how did you shove this vision into my head for me to see?" she demanded.

Harry was staring at her and she could see she'd ticked him off, at the same time however, she knew he was thinking.

"I will not believe Sirius is in the Ministry because it's stupid to think so. But also, Snape told us that Voldemort was aware of the connection you two had, so tell me, what's to stop Voldemort planting something into your mind?" Alicia asked.

Everyone stared surprised.

"This vision could have been a complete fake!" she snapped and Ron and Hermione released her as she looked at Harry.

"Yeah and how can you prove that?" Harry now snapped back "Do you really want to take the chance that it is. Even if he did force it into my mind and then into yours, that doesn't mean it's fake, it means he wants us to grab this weapon!"

"Another thing, why the hell can't he touch it? And if he wants it and we're the only ones who can get it than are you seriously going to give him that chance of having this weapon?" Alicia said.

"You want to take the chance of letting Sirius die!?" Harry shouted in her face. Alicia shook her head as she ground her teeth.

"He cannot be in the ministry!" Alicia snapped back and Harry looked at her.

"You're just afraid he'll die." he responded

"No shit!" Alicia spat back "He and you are the only family I have left and you seriously think I want to believe he's in some life threatening danger?" There was a period of silence and Alicia took a breath.

"Look, every year so far something's gone wrong and it's only gotten worse because we didn't have enough knowledge on it. We let Peter escape, we ignored the signs that Moody was an imposter, we didn't realise Ginny was possessed and we suspected Snape instead of Quirrel just because we hated him." Alicia said "Last year it got someone killed and I do not want to go running off again just so that can happen again. We don't know what the weapon is, and we are not running off unless there's proof that Sirius is in trouble. And how are you going to find that out?" she demanded.

"Wait," said Hermione suddenly. "Wait… we can find out, and they can help." Alicia, Harry and Ron looked at her to find her pointing to Ginny and Luna.

"Listen," she said urgently, "Harry, we need to establish whether Sirius really has left headquarters —"

"I've told you, I saw —"

"Shut up!" Alicia snapped at him and he looked at her angrily.

"Harry, I'm begging you, please!" said Hermione desperately. "Please let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London — if we find out he's not there then I swear I won't try and stop you, I'll come, I'll d-do whatever it takes to try and save him —"

"Sirius is being tortured NOW!" shouted Harry. "We haven't got time to waste —"

"We are checking this first!" Alicia snapped "We are not running off to the ministry of all damn places without absolute proof."

"If this is a trick of V-Voldemort's — Harry, we've got to check, we've got to —"

"How?" Harry demanded. "How're we going to check?"

"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him," said Hermione, who looked positively terrified at the thought. "We'll draw Umbridge away again, but we'll need lookouts, and that's where we can use Ginny and Luna."

Though clearly struggling to understand what was going on, Ginny said immediately, "Yeah, we'll do it," and Luna said, "When you say 'Sirius,' are you talking about Stubby Boardman?"

Nobody answered her.

"Okay," Harry said aggressively to Hermione, "Okay, if you can think of a way of doing this quickly, I'm with you, otherwise I'm going to the Department of Mysteries right now —"

"The Department of Mysteries?" said Luna, looking mildly surprised. "But how are you going to get there?"

Again, Harry ignored her. But Alicia turned and had to think too… they couldn't Apparate they were too young and they'd get lost taking brooms, in which Harry's was confiscated and Hermione wasn't very good. They could use Umbridge's fire if they made it that far…

"Right," said Hermione, twisting her hands together and pacing up and down between the desks. "Right… well… One of us has to go and find Umbridge and — and send her off in the wrong direction, keep her away from her office. They could tell her — I don't know — that Peeves is up to something awful as usual…"

"I'll do it," said Ron at once. "I'll tell her Peeves is smashing up the Transfiguration department or something, it's miles away from her office. Come to think of it, I could probably persuade Peeves to do it if I met him on the way…"

It was a mark of the seriousness of the situation that Hermione made no objection to the smashing up of the Transfiguration department.

"Okay," she said, her brow furrowed as she continued to pace. "Now, we need to keep students away from her office while we force entry, or some Slytherin's bound to go and tip her off…"

"Luna and I can stand at either end of the corridor," said Ginny promptly, "and warn people not to go down there because someone's let off a load of Garroting Gas." Hermione looked surprised at the readiness with which Ginny had come up with this lie. Ginny shrugged and said, "Fred and George were planning to do it before they left."

"Maybe we should do it anyway while we're at it?" Alicia mumbled

"Okay," said Hermione, "well then, Harry, you, Alicia and I will be under the Invisibility Cloak, and we'll sneak into the office and you can talk to Sirius —"

"He's not there, Hermione!"

"He might very well be! You can't tell the difference before a real memory or a fake now can you?" Alicia snapped back

"I mean," Hermione said quickly to stop the two fighting again "you can — can check whether Sirius is at home or not while I keep watch, I don't think you should be in there alone, Lee's already proved the window's a weak spot, sending those nifflers through it."

Even through his anger and impatience Harry recognised Hermione's offer to accompany him into Umbridge's office as a sign of solidarity and loyalty.

"I… okay, thanks," he muttered.

"Right, well, even if we do all of that, I don't think we're going to be able to bank on more than five minutes," said Hermione, looking relieved that Harry seemed to have accepted the plan, "not with Filch and the wretched Inquisitorial Squad floating around."

"Five minutes'll be enough," said Harry. "C'mon, let's go —"

" _Now_?" said Hermione, looking shocked. Even Alicia looked at her surprised.

"Of course now!" said Harry angrily. "What did you think, we're going to wait until after dinner or something? Hermione, Sirius is being tortured _right now_!"

"I — oh all right," she said desperately. "You go and get the Invisibility Cloak and we'll meet you at the end of Umbridge's corridor, okay?"

Harry did not answer, but flung himself out of the room.

Alicia pinched the bridge of her nose and began to pace, taking a few breaths.

"Alicia?"

"It just doesn't add up. Voldemort would take Sirius to get to Harry and then force the memory into Harry's head so he'd come charging out to the Ministry, that makes more than enough sense. Voldemort would do that seeing as he's so desperate for this…" she sighed

"Do we even know what it is?" Ron asked

"I think it's a memory, but I have no idea what memory he could be so desperate for to be yearning over it all year, because it's that yearning that's drawn Harry in to the dreams. He and I can feel what Voldemort feels in those moments. This time was different though, I didn't feel any emotions to memory. And it was forced into my head, worse than when Snape forced his way in. I'm surprised I didn't pass out." she ran a hand through her hair.

"You don't think Sirius is there either?" Hermione wondered

"I have no idea why he would be. He's not stupid, and I feel the first person who would know if and where Voldemort was and if Sirius wasn't at Grimmauld Place it'd be Dumbledore. Regardless of where he is I swear he'd know that. He's Dumbledore." Alicia said before taking a breath. "But I can't prove the memory was real anymore than I can prove it's fake." she whispered.

It was that that terrified her. She could apply logic and reason and previous experience and understandings to it, and believe there was no possibility it was real and that it was likely a coo, but she wasn't willing to take the chance without first checking.

"Come on, we'd better meet Harry." Ron said and Alicia nodded before following them out. "By the way, watching you and Harry argue is very scary." he added to Alicia and she smirked slightly.

They stood at the end of the corridor of Umbridge's office and waited for Harry to return. Hermione organised a signal with Ginny and Luna for if Umbridge turned up before he did, the invisibility cloak and the knife Sirius had given him in his bag.

"Got it," he panted. "Ready to go, then?"

"All right," whispered Hermione as a gang of loud sixth years passed them. "So Ron — you go and head Umbridge off… Ginny, Luna, if you can start moving people out of the corridor… Harry, Alicia and I will get the cloak on and wait until the coast is clear…"

Ron strode away, his bright red hair visible right to the end of the passage. Meanwhile, Ginny's equally vivid head bobbed between the jostling students surrounding them in the other direction, trailed by Luna's blonde one.

"Get over here," muttered Hermione, tugging at Harry's wrist as Alicia moved into a recess where the ugly stone head of a medieval wizard stood muttering to itself on a column. "Are — are you sure you're okay, Harry? You're still very pale…"

"I'm fine," he said shortly, tugging the Invisibility Cloak from out of his bag. Alicia said nothing, she could feel the ache in her scar and knew his was the same, but it wasn't bad enough that, in the case what they'd seen was real, Voldemort had yet dealt Sirius a fatal blow. It had hurt much worse than this when Voldemort had been punishing Avery…

"Here," he said. He threw the Invisibility Cloak over the three of them and they stood listening carefully over the Latin mumblings of the bust in front of them.

"You can't come down here!" Ginny was calling to the crowd. "No, sorry, you're going to have to go round by the swivelling staircase, someone's let off Garroting Gas just along here —"

They could hear people complaining; one surly voice said, "I can't see no gas…"

"That's because it's colourless," said Ginny in a convincingly exasperated voice, "but if you want to walk through it, carry on, then we'll have your body as proof for the next idiot who didn't believe us…"

Slowly the crowd thinned. The news about the Garroting Gas seemed to have spread — people were not coming this way anymore. When at last the surrounding area was quite clear, Hermione said quietly, "I think that's as good as we're going to get, Harry — come on, let's do it."

Together they moved forward, covered by the cloak. Luna was standing with her back to them at the far end of the corridor. As they passed Ginny, Hermione whispered, "Good one… don't forget the signal…"

"What's the signal?" muttered Harry, as they approached Umbridge's door.

"A loud chorus of 'Weasley Is Our King' if they see Umbridge coming," replied Hermione, as Harry inserted the blade of Sirius's knife in the crack between door and wall. The lock clicked open, and they entered the office.

Alicia hated the sight of the office more and more every time she saw it but she followed Harry to the fireplace as Hermione breathed a sigh of relief, the three having pulled off the cloak.

"I thought she might have added extra security after the second niffler…"

Hermione hurried over to the window and stood out of sight, peering down into the grounds with her wand out. Harry dashed over to the fireplace, seized the pot of Floo powder, and threw a pinch into the grate, causing emerald flames to burst into life there. He knelt down quickly, thrust his head into the dancing fire, and cried, "Number twelve, Grimmauld Place!"

Alicia took a breath as she kneeled beside him and closed her eyes, she saw Grimmauld place and saw that the cold kitchen was empty. She took a deep breath, the house was large, he could be with Buckbeak.

"Sirius?" he shouted. "Sirius, are you there?"

His voice echoed around the room, but there was no answer except a tiny scuffing sound to the right of the fire.

"Who's there?" he called.

Kreacher the house-elf came creeping into view. He looked highly delighted about something, though he seemed to have recently sustained a nasty injury to both hands, which were heavily bandaged. Alicia wondered if he'd done something against his orders and had to injure himself… if so what was it he'd done to anger Sirius that required such…

She ignored the lump that rose in her throat with the worry and fear that began to fill her. What if Sirius really wasn't here?

"It's the Potter boy's head in the fire," Kreacher informed the empty kitchen, stealing furtive, oddly triumphant glances at Harry. "What has he come for, Kreacher wonders?"

Alicia didn't like how happy Kreacher was… she didn't want to think that perhaps he'd done something to Sirius he believed the man deserved or if…

"Where's Sirius, Kreacher?" Harry demanded.

The house-elf gave a wheezy chuckle. "Master has gone out, Harry Potter."

"Where's he gone? _Where's he gone, Kreacher_?"

Kreacher merely cackled.

"I'm warning you!" said Harry, fully aware that his scope for inflicting punishment upon Kreacher was almost nonexistent in this position. "What about Lupin? Mad-Eye? Any of them, are any of them here?"

"Nobody here but Kreacher!" said the elf gleefully, and turning away from Harry he began to walk slowly toward the door at the end of the kitchen. "Kreacher thinks he will have a little chat with his Mistress now, yes, he hasn't had a chance in a long time, Kreacher's Master has been keeping him away from her —"

"Where has Sirius gone?" Harry yelled after the elf. " _Kreacher, has he gone to the Department of Mysteries_?"

Kreacher stopped in his tracks. Harry could just make out the back of his bald head through the forest of chair legs before him.

"Master does not tell poor Kreacher where he is going," said the elf quietly.

"But you know!" shouted Harry. "Don't you? You know where he is!"

There was a moment's silence, then the elf let out his loudest cackle yet. "Master will not come back from the Department of Mysteries!" he said gleefully. "Kreacher and his Mistress are alone again!"

And he scurried forward and disappeared through the door to the hall.

"You — !"

Alicia felt pain in her head before she found herself on her feet as she was yanked by her arm. She turned to find Malfoy behind her. Hermione was pinned to the wall by Millicent Bulstrode and Umbridge was reaching into the fire, grabbing Harry's hair and yanking him out by it. She bent his neck back so that he was staring at the celling, almost like she planned to take a knife to his throat.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59:

"You think," she whispered, bending Harry's neck back even farther. "that after two nifflers I was going to let one more foul, scavenging little creature enter my office without my knowledge? I had Stealth Sensoring Spells placed all around my doorway after the last one got in, you foolish boy. Take his wand," she barked at Malfoy, who put a hand inside the chest pocket of his robes and remove the wand. "Theirs too…" Malfoy took Alicia's, smirking as he did and she eyed him. As if that was going to be enough to let him keep a hold of her.

Alicia wanted to curse herself for not thinking of Sensory spells. Hermione was right, of course she'd add extra protection.

"I want to know why you are in my office," said Umbridge, shaking the fist clutching his hair so that Harry staggered.

"I was — trying to get my Firebolt!" Harry croaked. Alicia rolled her eyes, what a terrible lie.

"Liar." She shook his head again. "Your Firebolt is under strict guard in the dungeons, as you very well know, Potter. You had your head in my fire. With whom have you been communicating?"

"No one —" said Harry, trying to pull away from her. Alicia felt the pain in her own scalp as some of his hairs were clearly removed.

" _Liar_!" shouted Umbridge. She threw him from her, and he slammed into the desk. He could now see Hermione pinned, Alicia with her arms behind her back and Malfoy holding her, both Potter's wands sticking from his pocket.

There was a commotion outside and several large Slytherins entered, each gripping Ron, Ginny, Luna, and — surprisingly enough — Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation. All four of them had been gagged.

"Got 'em all," said Warrington, shoving Ron roughly forward into the room. " _That_ one." he poked a thick finger at Neville, "tried to stop me taking her," he pointed at Ginny, who was trying to kick the shins of the large Slytherin girl holding her, "so I brought him along too."

"Good, good," said Umbridge, watching Ginny's struggles. "Well, it looks as though Hogwarts will shortly be a Weasley-free zone, doesn't it?"

Malfoy laughed loudly and sycophantically. Umbridge gave her wide, complacent smile and settled herself into a chintz-covered armchair, blinking up at her captives like a toad in a flowerbed.

"So, Potter," she said. "You stationed lookouts around my office and you sent this buffoon," she nodded at Ron, and Malfoy laughed even louder, "to tell me the poltergeist was wreaking havoc in the Transfiguration department when I knew perfectly well that he was busy smearing ink on the eyepieces of all the school telescopes, Mr. Filch having just informed me so."

Alicia wanted to grumble at Peeves making a nuisance, something she hadn't done since Fred and George had left but kept silent as she stared at the women.

"Clearly, it was very important for you to talk to somebody. Was it Albus Dumbledore? Or the half-breed, Hagrid? I doubt it was Minerva McGonagall, I hear she is still too ill to talk to anyone…"

Malfoy and a few of the other members of the Inquisitorial Squad laughed some more at that. Harry was so full of rage and hatred he was shaking and Alicia had to take several breaths to keep it from infecting her as well, despite how she herself wanted to hex them all.

"It's none of your business who I talk to," he snarled.

Umbridge's slack face seemed to tighten.

"Very well," she said in her most dangerous and falsely sweet voice. "Miss Evans, you'll clearly know." she turned to Alicia. The girl however looked around as though trying to find who she was talking too.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you talking to me? I didn't know seeing as you addressed me incorrectly." Alicia said smiling sweetly. Umbridge stared at her, still smiling.

"Whom was Mr Potter talking to?" she demanded

"Well I don't know if you noticed, but my head wasn't the one in the fireplace, so I wouldn't really know now would I?" Alicia responded, talking to Umbridge as though she was a four year old who needed explaining to. It was the same tone Umbridge used on them in their first few lessons. Umbridge was likely to punish them as far as even expel them so Alicia lost all care for holding back or mocking her.

"You will show some respect and answer the question." Umbridge responded

"I'll show some respect when you earn it." Alicia snapped back. Umbridge was still smiling, clearly enjoying the fact that Alicia was going to let her give the toad women a reason to punish her.

"Very well, Mr. Potter… Miss Evans… I offered you the chance to tell me freely. You refused. I have no alternative but to force you. Draco — fetch Professor Snape."

Alicia blinked before she groaned and dropped her head. She ignored as Malfoy let her go and moved from the room smirking.

How stupid of them! They snuck into Umbridge's office because they'd had no way of contacting Sirius or the order and yet Snape was still here! He was a member of the order! McGonagall wasn't the only one!

All this trouble when there was another way.

 _And thinking of another way!_ Alicia had totally forgotten about Harry's mirror! They could have even used that but no, they did it the hard way, and even after Alicia knew better the last time Harry did this!

There was silence in the office except for the fidgetings and scufflings resultant from the Slytherins' efforts to keep Ron and the others under control. Ron's lip was bleeding onto Umbridge's carpet as he struggled against Warrington's half nelson. Ginny was still trying to stamp on the feet of the sixth-year girl who had both her upper arms in a tight grip. Neville was turning steadily more purple in the face while tugging at Crabbe's arms, and Hermione was attempting vainly to throw Millicent Bulstrode off her. Luna, however, stood limply by the side of her captor, gazing vaguely out of the window as though rather bored by the proceedings.

Alicia moved to stand beside Harry and he glanced at her.

 _Why did we forget Snape?_ she questioned

 _Cause he's a git._ Alicia rolled her eyes before turning back to Umbridge who was watching them closely.

 _You know you should've held her tongue before._ Harry thought

 _If she's going to kick us out of the school anyway, I'm not giving her anymore pleasantries._ Alicia admitted as footsteps were heard in the corridor outside and Draco Malfoy came back into the room, holding open the door for Snape.

"You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" said Snape, looking around at all the pairs of struggling students with an expression of complete indifference.

"Ah, Professor Snape," said Umbridge, smiling widely and standing up again. "Yes, I would like another bottle of Veritaserum, as quick as you can, please."

"You took my last bottle to interrogate Potter and Evans," he said, observing her coolly through his greasy curtains of black hair.

"Of which she failed miserably." Alicia mumbled, a few heads turning in her direction, Umbridge and Snape being two of them.

"Surely you did not use it all? I told you that three drops would be sufficient." Snape continued

Umbridge flushed.

"You can make some more, can't you?" she said, her voice becoming more sweetly girlish as it always did when she was furious.

"Certainly," said Snape, his lip curling. "It takes a full moon cycle to mature, so I should have it ready for you in around a month."

"A month?" squawked Umbridge, swelling toadishly. "A _month_? But I need it this evening, Snape! I have just found Potter using my fire to communicate with a person or persons unknown!"

"Really?" said Snape, showing his first, faint sign of interest as he looked around at Harry. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. Potter has never shown much inclination to follow school rules."

His cold, dark eyes were boring into Harry's, who met his gaze unflinchingly. Alicia hoped Snape would read his memory in that fleeting moment or feel what he felt, Snape had had enough practice getting into their heads that it would seem easy now.

"I wish to interrogate him!" shouted Umbridge angrily, and Snape looked away from Harry back into her furiously quivering face. "I wish you to provide me with a potion that will force him to tell me the truth!"

"I have already told you," said Snape smoothly, "that I have no further stocks of Veritaserum. Unless you wish to poison Potter — and I assure you I would have the greatest sympathy with you if you did — I cannot help you. The only trouble is that most venoms act too fast to give the victim much time for truth-telling…"

Snape looked back at Harry, and then to Alicia both of them making eye contact and Alicia making sure not to accidentally move into Snape's mind. She'd done it with Harry on a few occasions and knew Snape would just get angry at it.

She heard Harry doing the same as he opened his mind like a photo album.

 _Voldemort's got Sirius in the Department of Mysteries, he thought desperately. Voldemort's got Sirius —_

"You are on probation!" shrieked Professor Umbridge, and Snape looked back at her, his eyebrows slightly raised. "You are being deliberately unhelpful! I expected better, Lucius Malfoy always speaks most highly of you! Now get out of my office!"

Snape gave her an ironic bow and turned to leave. And the Harry spoke.

"He's got Padfoot!" he shouted. "He's got Padfoot at the place where it's hidden!" Alicia sighed. Seriously?

Snape had stopped with his hand on Umbridge's door handle.

"Padfoot?" cried Professor Umbridge, looking eagerly from Harry to Snape. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What does he mean, Snape?"

Snape looked around at Harry. His face was inscrutable. Alicia was not surprised, he could not show recognition or Umbridge would see it.

"I have no idea," said Snape coldly. "Potter, when I want nonsense shouted at me I shall give you a Babbling Beverage. And Crabbe, loosen your hold a little, if Longbottom suffocates it will mean a lot of tedious paperwork, and I am afraid I shall have to mention it on your reference if ever you apply for a job."

He closed the door behind him with a snap. Alicia turned back to Umbridge before she felt the utter despair and disappointment from Harry.

 _He was our last hope…_ Harry mumbled and he looked at Alicia. To tell the Order.

 _What are you talking about, you just did?_ she rose an eyebrow confused

 _And he didn't get it!_

 _Course he did, didn't you see the way he paused._

 _But he said—_

 _Course he did, you want him to say he understood in front of Umbridge!?_ she demanded. Harry didn't look convinced but turned back to Umbridge who had begun muttering to herself.

"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well… I am left with no alternative… This is more than a matter of school discipline… This is an issue of Ministry security… Yes… yes…"

Alicia was surprised at how right she was, only she was looking at the wrong culprits. Alicia, though knowing it would in no way help, wondered for an instant what could happen if they told Umbridge Voldemort had broken into the Ministry.

The women in question seemed to be talking herself into something. She was shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot, staring at Harry and Alicia, beating her wand against her empty palm and breathing heavily.

"You are forcing me, Potter… I do not want to," said Umbridge, still moving restlessly on the spot, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use… I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice…"

Malfoy was watching her with a hungry expression on his face.

"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.

"No!" shrieked Hermione. "Professor Umbridge — it's illegal" — but Umbridge took no notice. There was a nasty, eager, excited look on her face that Harry had never seen before. She raised her wand.

"Nothing we haven't felt before, but that, unfortunately, didn't beat anything out of us." Alicia replied. But she immediately felt worried and guarded, watching Umbridge's wand. She couldn't blow off the pain of the unforgivable curse even if she hadn't felt it, it's whole purpose was pain.

"You haven't felt this." Umbridge believed

"Wow, clearly you haven't read our article in the Quibbler Professor because Voldemort tortured us with that so, yeah actually, we have." Umbridge looked even more furious as Alicia brought what the women called lies into the mix. Hermione however was beside herself unlike Alicia.

"The Minister wouldn't want you to break the law, Professor Umbridge!" cried Hermione.

"What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him," said Umbridge, who was now panting slightly as she pointed her wand at different parts of Harry's body in turn, apparently trying to decide what would hurt the most. "He never knew I ordered dementors after Potter last summer, but he was delighted to be given the chance to expel him, all the same…"

Alicia stared shocked, her mouth falling open. She'd been absolutely sure Voldemort had done that!

"It was _you_?" gasped Harry. " _You_ sent the dementors after me?"

" _Somebody_ had to act," breathed Umbridge, as her wand came to rest pointing directly at Harry's forehead. "They were all bleating about silencing you somehow — discrediting you — but I was the one who actually _did_ something about it… Only you wriggled out of that one, didn't you, Potter? Not today, though, not now…"

Alicia had to think fast, something, anything she could give Umbridge that might catch her off guard or catch her attention.

The women took a deep breath, she cried, "Cruc —"

"NO!" shouted Hermione in a cracked voice from behind Millicent Bulstrode. "No — Harry — Harry, we'll have to tell her!"

"No way!" yelled Harry, staring at the little of Hermione he could see. Alicia looked at the girl, Hermione wasn't stupid and wouldn't give the real reason they were here…

She watched Hermione carefully.

"We'll have to, Harry, she'll force it out of you anyway, what's… what's the point…?"

And Hermione began to cry weakly into the back of Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Millicent stopped trying to squash her against the wall immediately and dodged out of her way looking disgusted.

"Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, looking triumphant. "Little Miss Question-All is going to give us some answers! Come on then, girl, come on!"

"Er — my — nee — no!" shouted Ron through his gag.

Ginny was staring at Hermione as though she had never seen her before; Neville, still choking for breath, was gazing at her too. Alicia looked at her carefully, she'd seen Hermione through all her emotions and right now, though Hermione was sobbing desperately into her hands, there was no trace of a tear…

Hermione's brain had worked quicker than Alicia's and outsmarted her. She couldn't help but smirk ever so slightly and looked at Harry who also looked expectant.

"I'm — I'm sorry everyone," said Hermione. "But — I can't stand it —"

"That's right, that's right, girl!" said Umbridge, seizing Hermione by the shoulders, thrusting her into the abandoned chintz chair and leaning over her. "Now then… with whom was Potter communicating just now?"

"Well," gulped Hermione into her hands, "well, he was _trying_ to speak to Professor Dumbledore…"

Ron froze, his eyes wide; Ginny stopped trying to stamp on her Slytherin captor's toes; even Luna looked mildly surprised. Fortunately, the attention of Umbridge and her minions was focused too exclusively upon Hermione to notice these suspicious signs.

"Dumbledore?" said Umbridge eagerly. "You know where Dumbledore is, then?"

"Well… no!" sobbed Hermione. "We've tried the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley and the Three Broomsticks and even the Hog's Head —"

"Idiot girl, Dumbledore won't be sitting in a pub when the whole Ministry's looking for him!" shouted Umbridge, disappointment etched in every sagging line of her face.

"But — but we needed to tell him something important!" wailed Hermione, holding her hands more tightly over her face, not, Harry knew, out of anguish, but to disguise the continued absence of tears.

"Yes?" said Umbridge with a sudden resurgence of excitement. "What was it you wanted to tell him?"

"Hermione, you can't." Alicia said pushing a look of horror onto her face. "He told us in confidence!" Umbridge looked even more eagerly at Hermione now and Harry glanced at Alicia who gave him a very quick satisfied look before replacing it with betrayal.

"We… we wanted to tell him it's r-ready!" choked Hermione.

"What's ready?" demanded Umbridge, and now she grabbed Hermione's shoulders again and shook her slightly. "What's ready, girl?"

"The… the weapon," said Hermione.

"Weapon? Weapon?" said Umbridge, and her eyes seemed to pop with excitement. "You have been developing some method of resistance? A weapon you could use against the Ministry? On Professor Dumbledore's orders, of course?"

"Y-y-yes," gasped Hermione. "But he had to leave before it was finished and n-n-now we've finished it for him, and we c-c-can't find him t-t-to tell him!"

"What kind of weapon is it?" said Umbridge harshly, her stubby hands still tight on Hermione's shoulders.

"We don't r-r-really understand it," said Hermione, sniffing loudly. "We j-j-just did what P-P-Professor Dumbledore told us t-t-to do…"

Umbridge straightened up, looking exultant.

"Lead me to the weapon," she said.

"I'm not showing… _them_ ," said Hermione shrilly, looking around at the Slytherins through her fingers.

"It is not for you to set conditions," said Professor Umbridge harshly.

"Then I guess we just won't show it to you." Alicia snapped, Umbridge glanced at her to see her glaring at Hermione. She seemed happy with this fact.

"Fine," said Hermione, now sobbing into her hands again, "fine… let them see it, I hope they use it on you! In fact, I wish you'd invite loads and loads of people to come and see! Th-that would serve you right — oh, I'd love it if the wh-whole school knew where it was, and how to u-use it, and then if you annoy any of them they'll be able to s-sort you out!"

These words had a powerful impact on Umbridge. She glanced swiftly and suspiciously around at her Inquisitorial Squad, her bulging eyes resting for a moment on Malfoy, who was too slow to disguise the look of eagerness and greed that had appeared on his face.

Umbridge contemplated Hermione for another long moment and then spoke in what she clearly thought was a motherly voice. "All right, dear, let's make it just you and me… and we'll take Potter and Evans too, shall we? Get up, now —"

"Professor," said Malfoy eagerly, "Professor Umbridge, I think some of the squad should come with you to look after —"

"I am a fully qualified Ministry official, Malfoy, do you really think I cannot manage three wandless teenagers alone?" asked Umbridge sharply. "In any case, it does not sound as though this weapon is something that schoolchildren should see. You will remain here until I return and make sure none of these" — she gestured around at Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna — "escape."

"All right," said Malfoy, looking sulky and disappointed.

"And you three can go ahead of me and show me the way," said Umbridge, pointing at Harry, Alicia and Hermione with her wand. "Lead on…"


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60:

Alicia followed Hermione trying to think what she was planning. Harry followed them both as Alicia kept glancing at Hermione, keeping the same look of disappointment on her face that she hoped fooled Umbridge. Harry however didn't look at Hermione as he kept one pace behind her with Alicia, as Umbridge walked so closely behind them that they could hear her ragged breathing.

Hermione led the way down the stairs into the entrance hall. The din of loud voices and the clatter of cutlery on plates echoed from out of the double doors to the Great Hall. It seemed incredible to Harry that twenty feet away were people who were enjoying dinner, celebrating the end of exams, not a care in the world…

Hermione walked straight out of the oak front doors and down the stone steps into the balmy evening air. The sun was falling toward the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest now, as Hermione marched purposefully across the grass, Umbridge jogging to keep up. Their long dark shadows rippled over the grass behind them like cloaks.

"It's hidden in Hagrid's hut, is it?" said Umbridge eagerly in Harry's ear as they were moving in that direction. Alicia started to have an idea of where they may be heading. Was Hermione going to lead them into the forest? Alicia hoped that the centaurs took Umbridge out seeing as they don't harm 'fouls'.

"Of course not," said Hermione scathingly. "Hagrid might have set it off accidentally."

"Yes," said Umbridge, whose excitement seemed to be mounting. "Yes, he would have done, of course, the great half-breed oaf…"

She laughed.

"Then… where is it?" asked Umbridge, with a hint of uncertainty in her voice as Hermione continued to stride toward the forest.

The other option of course was to show them Grawp, but Alicia didn't know which path that was as she'd been on the Quidditch pitch instead of with Harry and Hermione.

"In there, of course," said Hermione, pointing into the dark trees. "It had to be somewhere that students weren't going to find it accidentally, didn't it?"

"And students aren't allowed." Alicia said coldly.

"Of course," said Umbridge, though she sounded a little apprehensive now. "Of course… very well, then… you two stay ahead of me."

"Can we have your wand, then, if we're going first?" Harry asked her.

"No, I don't think so, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge sweetly, poking him in the back with it. "The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I'm afraid."

As they reached the cool shade of the first trees, Harry tried to catch Hermione's eye and Alicia looked at the trees listening. Hermione merely gave Umbridge a contemptuous glance and plunged straight in amongst the thick trunks. Alicia followed immediately and they moved at such a pace that Umbridge, with her shorter legs, had difficulty in keeping up.

"Is it very far in?" Umbridge asked, as her robe ripped on a bramble.

"Oh yes," said Hermione. "Yes, it's well hidden."

"Er — are you sure this is the right way?" Harry asked her pointedly.

"Oh yes," she said in a steely voice, crashing through the undergrowth with what he thought was a wholly unnecessary amount of noise. Behind them, Umbridge tripped over a fallen sapling. Neither of them paused to help her up again; Hermione merely strode on, calling loudly over her shoulder, "It's a bit further in!"

"Hermione, keep your voice down," Harry muttered, hurrying to catch up with her. "Anything could be listening in here —"

"I want us heard," she answered quietly, as Umbridge jogged noisily after them. "You'll see…"

"I hope you mean the centaurs." Alicia whispered and Hermione glanced at her.

They walked on for what seemed a long time, until they were once again so deep into the forest that the dense tree canopy blocked out all light. Alicia wouldn't have been surprised if they were being watched. She hoped something was out there, despite the fact that the three were unarmed and there was much more than just centaurs in this forest, as they'd found out in their second year when they'd seen the giant Acromantulas Hagrid kept.

"How much further?" demanded Umbridge angrily from behind him.

"Not far now!" shouted Hermione, as they emerged into a dim, dank clearing. "Just a little bit —"

An arrow flew through the air and landed with a menacing thud in the tree just over her head. The air was suddenly full of the sound of hooves, the forest floor trembling; Umbridge gave a little scream and pushed Harry in front of her like a shield —

He wrenched himself free of her and turned. Around fifty centaurs were emerging on every side, their bows raised and loaded, pointing at Harry, Hermione, Alicia and Umbridge, who backed slowly into the centre of the clearing, Umbridge uttering odd little whimpers of terror. Harry looked sideways at Hermione. She was wearing a triumphant smile, Alicia looked more than pleased and expectant.

"Who are you?" said a voice.

Harry looked left. The chestnut-bodied centaur called Magorian was walking toward them out of the circle; his bow, like the others', was raised. On Harry's right, Umbridge was still whimpering, her wand trembling violently as she pointed it at the advancing centaur.

"I asked you who are you, human," said Magorian roughly.

"I am Dolores Umbridge!" said Umbridge in a high-pitched, terrified voice. "Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and Headmistress and High Inquisitor of Hogwarts!"

"You are from the Ministry of Magic?" said Magorian, as many of the centaurs in the surrounding circle shifted restlessly.

"That's right!" said Umbridge in an even higher voice. "So be very careful! By the laws laid down by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, any attack by half-breeds such as yourselves on a human —"

" _What_ did you call us?" shouted a wild-looking black centaur, whom Alicia recognised from her first year as Bane. There was a great deal of angry muttering and tightening of bowstrings around them.

"Don't call them that!" Hermione said furiously, but Umbridge did not appear to have heard her.

"Not unless you want to piss them off." Alicia added

Still pointing her shaking wand at Magorian, Umbridge continued, "Law Fifteen B states clearly that 'Any attack by a magical creature who is deemed to have near-human intelligence, and therefore considered responsible for its actions —' "

" 'Near-human intelligence'?" repeated Magorian, as Bane and several others roared with rage and pawed the ground. "We consider that a great insult, human! Our intelligence, thankfully, far outstrips your own —"

"What are you doing in our forest?" bellowed the hard-faced grey centaur. "Why are you here?"

" _Your_ forest?" said Umbridge, shaking now not only with fright but also, it seemed, with indignation. "I would remind you that you live here only because the Ministry of Magic permits you certain areas of land —"

An arrow flew so close to her head that it caught at her mousy hair in passing. She let out an earsplitting scream and threw her hands over her head while some of the centaurs bellowed their approval and others laughed raucously. Alicia couldn't help but do the same. The sound of their wild, neighing laughter echoing around the dimly lit clearing.

"Whose forest is it now, human?" bellowed Bane.

"Filthy half-breeds!" she screamed, her hands still tight over her head. "Beasts! Uncontrolled animals!"

"Be quiet!" shouted Hermione, but it was too late — Umbridge pointed her wand at Magorian and screamed, " _Incarcerous_!"

Ropes flew out of midair like thick snakes, wrapping themselves tightly around the centaur's torso and trapping his arms. He gave a cry of rage and reared onto his hind legs, attempting to free himself, while the other centaurs charged.

Alicia grabbed Harry, not being surprised by this attack, and Harry grabbed Hermione, the two diving for the ground and pulling her with them. On the forest floor Alicia glanced around, wondering if they'd trample them, terror filling her for a moment, but the centaurs leapt over and around them, bellowing and screaming with rage.

"Nooooo!" Umbridge shriek. "Noooooo… I am Senior Undersecretary… you cannot… unhand me, you animals… nooooo!"

There was a flash of red light as she attempted to Stun one of them — then she screamed very loudly. Alicia saw that Umbridge had been seized from behind by Bane and lifted high into the air, wriggling and yelling with fright. Her wand fell from her hand to the ground and a centaur's hoof descended upon the wand and it broke cleanly in half.

"Now!" roared a voice and Alicia saw the centaurs approach them and lift the three upright. Over the plunging, many-coloured backs and heads of the centaurs Harry saw Umbridge being borne away through the trees by Bane, still screaming nonstop; her voice grew fainter and fainter until they could no longer hear it over the trampling of hooves surrounding them.

"And these?" said the hard-faced, grey centaur holding Hermione.

"They are young," said a slow, doleful voice from behind Harry. "We do not attack foals."

"They brought her here, Ronan," replied the centaur who had such a firm grip on Harry. "And they are not so young… He is nearing manhood, this one…"

"We can't do the right thing by you by leaving if you choose to punish us." Alicia said "We want nothing from you. Human's cannot possibly try to reach above your expectations of us if we cannot learn as children." she believed.

"Please," said Hermione breathlessly, "please, don't attack us, we don't think like her, we aren't Ministry of Magic employees! We only came in here because we hoped you'd drive her off for us —"

Alicia looked at Hermione like she was insane. And she knew instantly that it was an insult to the centaurs as the one holding Hermione threw back his head, his back legs stamping furiously, and bellowed, "You see, Ronan? They already have the arrogance of their kind! So we were to do your dirty work, were we, human girl? We were to act as your servants, drive away your enemies like obedient hounds?"

"That's not what we wanted! You are not servants! You attacked by your own choice we did not make you or ask you or expect you to!" Alicia lied slightly, annoyed.

"No!" said Hermione in a horrorstruck squeak. "Please — I didn't mean that! I just hoped you'd be able to — to help us —"

But she seemed to be going from bad to worse.

"We do not help humans!" snarled the centaur holding Harry, tightening his grip and rearing a little at the same time, so that Harry's feet left the ground momentarily. "We are a race apart and proud to be so… We will not permit you to walk from here, boasting that we did your bidding!"

"You didn't do our bidding! You hardly even injured her!" Alicia complained.

"We're not going to say anything like that!" Harry shouted. "We know you didn't do anything because we wanted you to —"

But nobody seemed to be listening to him. A bearded centaur toward the back of the crowd shouted, "They came here unasked, they must pay the consequences!"

A roar of approval met these words and a dun-coloured centaur shouted, "They can join the woman!"

"You said you didn't hurt the innocent!" shouted Hermione, real tears sliding down her face now. "We haven't done anything to hurt you, we haven't used wands or threats, we just want to go back to school, please let us go back —"

"We are not all like the traitor Firenze, human girl!" shouted the grey centaur, to more neighing roars of approval from his fellows. "Perhaps you thought us pretty talking horses? We are an ancient people who will not stand wizard invasions and insults! We do not recognise your laws, we do not acknowledge your superiority, we are —"

But they did not hear what else centaurs were, for at that moment there came a crashing noise on the edge of the clearing so loud that all of them — Harry, Hermione, Alicia and the fifty or so centaurs filling the clearing — looked around. Alicia was dropped and released and Harry's centaur let him fall to the ground again also as his hands flew to his bow and quiver of arrows; Hermione had been dropped too, and the three hurried toward each other as two thick tree trunks parted ominously and the monstrous form of Grawp the giant appeared in the gap.

Alicia gapped up at the giant, having not seen him yet.

"I thought he was tied up somewhere?" Alicia asked shocked, the giant apparently having been tied to two thick trees to keep him wondering away and getting seen by students or teachers.

The centaurs nearest him backed into those behind. The clearing was now a forest of bows and arrows waiting to be fired, all pointing upward at the enormous greyish face now looming over them from just beneath the thick canopy of branches. Grawp's lopsided mouth was gaping stupidly. They could see his bricklike yellow teeth glimmering in the half-light, his dull sludge-coloured eyes narrowed as he squinted down at the creatures at his feet. Broken ropes trailed from both ankles.

He opened his mouth even wider.

"Hagger."

Alicia looked surprised, maybe Hagrid had taught him something, though she didn't know if that was english or not, though Hermione was Hermy so maybe some words Hagrid had slightly modified to make easier. If so, what was Hagger easier for? Or was it the language of the giants?

Hermione gripped Harry's arm as the centaurs were silent, staring up at the giant. They watched as the huge, round head moved from side to side as he continued to peer amongst them as though looking for something he had dropped.

" _Hagger_!" he said again, more insistently.

"Get away from here, giant!" called Magorian. "You are not welcome among us!"

These words seemed to make no impression whatsoever on Grawp. He stooped a little (the centaurs' arms tensed on their bows) and then bellowed, "HAGGER!"

A few of the centaurs looked worried now. Hermione, however, gave a gasp.

"Harry!" she whispered. "I think he's trying to say 'Hagrid'!"

"I was thinking it might be a simplification for something…" Alicia mumbled "Guess Hagrid accomplished something after all…"

At this precise moment Grawp caught sight of them, the only three humans in a sea of centaurs. He lowered his head another foot or so, staring intently at them. Harry could feel Hermione shaking as Grawp opened his mouth wide again and said, in a deep, rumbling voice, "Hermy."

"Goodness," said Hermione, gripping Harry's arm even tighter. Alicia wondered whether it'd fall off if she didn't let go. "he — he remembered!"

"HERMY!" roared Grawp. "WHERE HAGGER?"

"I don't know!" squealed Hermione, terrified. "I'm sorry, Grawp, I don't know!"

"GRAWP WANT HAGGER!"

One of the giant's massive hands swooped down upon them — Hermione let out a real scream, ran a few steps backward and fell over. Alicia too moved backwards to avoid the big hand but Harry seemed prepared to do something more courageous, what he planned to do against a giant Alicia had no idea. Even still the hand flew toward him and knocked a snow-white centaur off his legs.

It was what the centaurs had been waiting for — Grawp's outstretched fingers were a foot from Harry when fifty arrows went soaring through the air at the giant, peppering his enormous face, causing him to howl with pain and rage and straighten up again, rubbing his face with his enormous hands, breaking off the arrow shafts but forcing the heads in still deeper.

He yelled and stamped his enormous feet and the centaurs scattered out of the way. Pebble-sized droplets of Grawp's blood showered Harry and Alicia as they pulled Hermione to her feet and they ran as fast as they could for the shelter of the trees. Once there they looked back — Grawp was snatching blindly at the centaurs as blood ran all down his face; they were retreating in disorder, galloping away through the trees on the other side of the clearing. As Harry, Alicia and Hermione watched, Grawp gave another roar of fury and plunged after them, smashing more trees aside as he went.

"Oh no," said Hermione, quaking so badly that her knees gave way. "Oh, that was horrible. And he might kill them all…"

"I'm not that fussed, to be honest," said Harry bitterly.

"Kind of hard to be after that." Alicia nodded

The sounds of the galloping centaurs and the blundering giant were growing fainter and fainter. As Harry listened to them his scar gave another great throb and a wave of terror swept over him. Alicia felt it and she reached for her neck and then looked at her hand as though looking for a sign of it on her palm. It reminded her of why they'd been here in the first place. Sirius was in trouble… or all the signs pointed to him being in trouble. Kreacher said he hadn't been at home but there was no way Alicia trusted the elf after everything. And he was just too happy… and there was how he continued to disappear in which Alicia doubted he spent all that time in the attic for…

She didn't want to believe Kreacher, she wanted to believe that he was purposely toying with them, they couldn't make him tell the truth… But if she didn't go either to Grimmauld Place or the Ministry how would she know? Would Snape have contacted and done something with the order? Was it all being settled? If so they'd need to go and talk to him…

 _Would he even say anything?_ Alicia wondered.

She glanced at Harry, she doubted very much he'd believe what she said, or even want to waste more time than they already had in trying to placate her. But she felt running off to the ministry could cause worse trouble. She had a bad feeling and she'd learnt that they were important.

There was also the fact that none of them had a wand and they were stuck in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with no means of transport whatsoever.

Seemed Harry noticed this too.

"Smart plan," he spat at Hermione, keen to release some of his fury. "Really smart plan. Where do we go from here?"

"We need to get back up to the castle," said Hermione faintly.

"By the time we've done that, Sirius'll probably be dead!" said Harry, kicking a nearby tree in temper; there was a high-pitched chattering overhead and he looked up to see an angry bowtruckle flexing its long twiglike fingers at him.

"Well, we can't do anything without wands," said Hermione hopelessly, dragging herself up again.

"Which we need if we're to venture to the Ministry where Voldemort is!" Alicia snapped back at Harry. He glanced at her but said nothing.

"Anyway, Harry, how exactly were you planning to get all the way to London?"

"Yeah, we were just wondering that," said a familiar voice from behind her.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61:

Harry, Alicia and Hermione moved instinctively together, peering through the trees, as Ron came into sight, with Ginny, Neville, and Luna hurrying along behind him. All of them looked a little worse for wear — there were several long scratches running the length of Ginny's cheek, a large purple lump was swelling above Neville's right eye, Ron's lip was bleeding worse than ever — but all were looking rather pleased with themselves.

"So," said Ron, pushing aside a low-hanging branch and holding out Harry's wand, "had any ideas?"

Alicia noticed her's too and took it grinning.

"How did you get away?" asked Harry in amazement, taking his wand from Ron.

"Couple of Stunners, a Disarming Charm, Neville brought off a really nice little Impediment Jinx," said Ron airily, now handing back Hermione's wand too. "But Ginny was best, she got Malfoy — Bat-Bogey Hex — it was superb, his whole face was covered in the great flapping things. Anyway, we saw you heading into the forest out of the window and followed. What've you done with Umbridge?"

"She got carried away," said Harry. "By a herd of centaurs."

"And they left you behind?" asked Ginny, looking astonished.

"Ha. No they wanted to do the same to us." Alicia admitted as she twirled her wand, happy to have it back in her hand.

"No, they got chased off by Grawp," said Harry.

"Who's Grawp?" Luna asked interestedly.

"Hagrid's little brother," said Ron promptly. "Anyway, never mind that now. Harry, what did you find out in the fire? Has You-Know-Who got Sirius or — ?"

"Yes," said Harry, as his scar gave another painful prickle,

"No." Alicia said "Kreacher said he wasn't home."

"How's that different?" Harry remanded of her

"Maybe because Kreacher is unreliable. I am very sure that he has not been hiding in the attic all those times." she admitted "I don't trust him and we shouldn't have stuck our heads in the fire we should have gone in to Grimmauld place. Looked around the house instead of trusting that elf. In fact I'd rather to that now. Then we can take the Grimmauld place fire to the Ministry, which even still is stupid as it'll be filled with Ministry people, and we'd have all these traveling worked out and no more second guessing." Everyone stared at her "And you know what I'd also like to go and find Snape because I bet he has some idea of what's going on!"

"Snape?" Ron asked "You want to trust him?"

"He's in the order and for what ever reason he agrees to help Dumbledore, because Voldemort clearly needs Harry to get what ever it is and it's taken him all year to realise that, despite Snape being in our heads so many times. So yeah."

"We don't have time for this!?" Harry snapped "How can you just sit around!?"

"Because I have a terrible feeling!" Alicia snapped "I feel if we rush to the Ministry we're not going to be any better off than we were in the graveyard and we were lucky Harry!" Alicia cried, fear evident in her face. "I've got so many mixed signals that even if Sirius is being tortured I need to be absolutely positive and I'm not, there's soo many red flags and inconsistencies. And if Voldemort is using Sirius to get you to the Ministry, he wont kill him at least until you get there, because if he does, he's lost his leverage."

"He's going to kill him anyway!"

"So we go and he dies and possibly us and we stay and he dies?" Alicia asked her eyes welling up at the thought. "Harry I love Sirius, he's a reminder of our parents and a family member and …" she trailed off taking a deep breath as her voice had begun to shake. Harry looked at her is annoyance dying slightly.

"I don't like that nothing matches up okay it doesn't make me feel confident or secure. It scares me, after all we've gone through, running in so blind just puts us the same place we've always been." Alicia admitted

"We don't have time—"

"Exactly but it's so important! I—"

"The other times were different." Ron suddenly put in and Alicia looked at him "The other times you two were almost always by yourselves. You faced Quirrel alone, and the basilisk, and Voldemort last year and even the dementors third year."

"Yeah, Alicia we're coming too."

"And if that gets you killed because we're children and running headlong into a trap?" Alicia asked

"That's our decision." Ginny added

"That wont make me feel any better." Alicia snapped and they actually chuckled slightly.

"Alicia, Sirius would do the same for us." Harry reminded her

"Sirius is a reckless adult who's also an escaped convict," Alicia added and Ginny and Ron laughed. "I don't think you can really use that kind of comparison."

"Look, we're wasting time. I know you feel the prickles and aches that I do so you know he's doing something regardless. We need to go. Sirius needs us." Harry said and he was rather calm considering Alicia could feel his impatience. "I can't just stand around waiting for you to gather all the facts so I'm going."

"Well I can't let you go alone, I don't think you'd ever survive without me." Alicia said sighing. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

"So, we're going?" Ron asked and Harry nodded.

"I'm sure Sirius is still alive, but I can't see how we're going to get there to help him."

They all fell silent, looking rather scared. The problem facing them seemed insurmountable.

"Well we can't take brooms, we don't have enough and we'd probably get lost. We can't take the floo powder because we'd be spotted and Harry and I wont be welcomed…" Alicia listed "Obviously we can't apparate." she added

"Well, we'll have to fly, won't we?" said Luna in the closest thing to a matter-of-fact voice Harry had ever heard her use.

"Okay," said Harry irritably, rounding on her, "first of all, 'we' aren't doing anything if you're including yourself in that, and second of all, Ron and Alicia are the only ones with a broomstick that isn't being guarded by a security troll which is why Alicia said we can't fly so."

"No…" Alicia mumbled "I said we can't take the brooms…" she said looking at Luna as she thought fast.

"I've got a broom!" said Ginny.

"Yeah, but you're not coming," said Ron angrily.

"Excuse me, but I care what happens to Sirius as much as you do!" said Ginny, her jaw set so that her resemblance to Fred and George was suddenly striking.

"You're too —" Harry began.

"I'm three years older than you were when you fought You-Know-Who over the Philosopher's Stone," she said fiercely, "and it's because of me Malfoy's stuck back in Umbridge's office with giant flying bogeys attacking him —"

"Yeah, but —"

"We were all in the D.A. together," said Neville quietly. "It was all supposed to be about fighting You-Know-Who, wasn't it? And this is the first chance we've had to do something real — or was that all just a game or something?"

"No — of course it wasn't —" said Harry impatiently.

"Then we should come too," said Neville simply. "We want to help."

"That's right," said Luna, smiling happily.

Harry's eyes met Ron's. He knew that Ron was thinking exactly what he was: If he could have chosen any members of the D.A. in addition to himself, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione to join him in the attempt to rescue Sirius, he would not have picked Ginny, Neville, or Luna.

"Look they just don't want to bring you guys along because it's dangerous and if something happens it's on our conscience." Alicia began and the three began to protest "But," she continued before they could speak. "It is their choice we kinda don't have the right to stop them…"

"I can stop Ginny." Ron believed

"You're her brother not her mother Ron." Alicia reminded him "And I'd love to see you try." Ginny grinned at Alicia before turning to Ron, who in turn turned to Harry.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," said Harry frustratedly, "because we still don't know how to get there —"

"I thought we'd settled that?" said Luna maddeningly. "We're flying!"

"Look," said Ron, barely containing his anger, "you might be able to fly without a broomstick but the rest of us can't sprout wings whenever we —"

"There are other ways of flying than with broomsticks," said Luna serenely. Alicia gapped and turned to Luna, she'd just struck it, mostly because they'd walked into sight.

"Luna you're a genius." Alicia believed and everyone looked at her surprised but Ron who continued to argue.

"I s'pose we're going to ride on the back of the Kacky Snorgle or whatever it is?" Ron demanded.

"The Crumple-Horned Snorkack can't fly," said Luna in a dignified voice, "but _they_ can, and Hagrid says they're very good at finding places their riders are looking for."

Harry whirled around as Alicia moved forwards grinning. Standing between two trees, their white eyes gleaming eerily, were two thestrals, watching the whispered conversation as though they understood every word. One put it's nose down to Alicia as she reached them and she moved to pet it grinning.

"Yes!" Harry whispered, moving toward them. They tossed their reptilian heads, throwing back long black manes, and Harry stretched out his hand eagerly and patted the nearest one's shining neck.

"Why didn't we think of this?" Alicia asked annoyed.

"Is it those mad horse things?" said Ron uncertainly, staring at a point slightly to the left of the thestral Harry was patting. "Those ones you can't see unless you've watched someone snuff it?"

"Yeah," said Harry.

"How many?"

"Just two."

"Well, we need four," said Hermione, who was still looking a little shaken, but determined just the same.

"Five, Hermione," said Ginny, scowling.

"I think there are seven of us, actually," said Luna calmly, counting.

"Don't be stupid, we can't all go!" said Harry angrily. "Look, you three" — he pointed at Neville, Ginny, and Luna — "you're not involved in this, you're not —"

Alicia sighed and didn't bother to say anything. Immediately though they burst into more protests. Alicia felt her scar twinge and looked at Harry who seemed to accept he didn't have the time and was accepting defeat.

"Okay, fine, it's your choice," he said curtly. "But unless we can find more thestrals you're not going to be able —"

"Oh, more of them will come," said Ginny confidently, who like Ron was squinting in quite the wrong direction, apparently under the impression that she was looking at the horses.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because in case you hadn't noticed, you, Alicia and Hermione are covered in blood," she said coolly, "and we know Hagrid lures thestrals with raw meat, so that's probably why these two turned up in the first place…"

Harry felt a soft tug on his robes at that moment and looked down to see the closest thestral licking his sleeve, which was damp with Grawp's blood.

Alicia chuckled and moved around to the back of the thestral, patting it with intent of mounting. "And people thought Hagrid was a joke of a teacher." she said looking at Luna.

Harry however looked at Alicia with sudden hope. She rose an eyebrow and then rolled her eyes as she heard his thoughts.

"Okay, then," he said, a bright idea occurring. "Alicia and I will take these two and go ahead, and Hermione can stay here with you four and she'll attract more thestrals —"

"You're an idiot." Alicia said simply.

"I'm not staying behind!" said Hermione furiously as Ron too turned and told him he was mental.

"There's no need," said Luna, smiling. "Look, here come more now… You three must really smell…"

"You might find giants blood is more potent." Alicia shrugged

Harry turned. No fewer than six or seven thestrals were picking their way through the trees now, their great leathery wings folded tight to their bodies, their eyes gleaming through the darkness. Alicia chuckled and he looked at her annoyed, he had no excuse now…

"All right," he said angrily, "pick one and get on, then."

Alicia raised an eyebrow as she'd gotten up onto her thestral and waited.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62:

Harry heaved himself onto a Thestral as well and Neville attempted the same as Luna sat in place like Alicia. Hermione, Ron and Ginny however were still in place, standing motionlessly on the spot, mouths open and staring. Alicia suddenly started to snicker. She just realised how strange it'd be for them, the four were sitting in mid air with nothing between their legs to them. She also realised it would be hard for them to mount when they couldn't see anything.

Harry didn't seem to notice this.

"What?" he said.

"How're we supposed to get on?" said Ron faintly. "When we can't see the things?"

"Oh it's easy," said Luna, sliding obligingly from her thestral and marching over to him, Hermione, and Ginny. "Come here…"

She pulled them over to the other thestrals standing around and one by one managed to help them onto the backs of their mounts. All three looked extremely nervous as she wound their hands into the horses' manes and told them to grip tightly before getting back onto her own steed.

"This is mad," Ron said faintly, moving his free hand gingerly up and down his horse's neck. "Mad… if I could just see it —"

"You'd better hope it stays invisible," said Harry darkly.

"Yeah we don't need anyone being granted the sight tonight." Alicia said frowning and Ron looked at them, suddenly nodding in agreement.

"We all ready, then?" Harry asked

They all nodded and he saw five pairs of knees tighten beneath their robes.

"Okay…" He looked down at the back of his thestral's glossy black head and then turned to Alicia. She sighed.

"Ministry of Magic, please, visitors' entrance, London." she instructed her thestral.

"Er… if you know… where to go…" Harry added

For a moment the thestrals did nothing at all. Harry looked at Alicia in time to see her thestral open it's wings on either side, crouch and she launched, rocketed into the air while laughing. Harry's Thestral did the same move so quickly it nearly unseated him. Alicia laughed as she clung on with her legs and hands tightly as to not be thrown backwards over the boney spine. When she felt brave enough she glanced backwards to find Harry had buried his head into his horse's silky mane.

They bursted through the top most trees and the blood-red sky of the sunset was exposed around them.

Alicia was exhilarated, even her broomstick did not move nearly as fast as the Thestral did and it brought adrenaline to her veins.

The thestrals streaked over the castle, wide wings hardly beating. The cooling air was slapping Alicia's face but she didn't want to close her eyes as it made them water. She glanced back as Harry finally opened his eyes and the other five were following the two, each of them bent as low as possible into the neck of their thestral to protect themselves from its slipstream.

They were over the Hogwarts grounds, they had passed Hogsmeade. Harry could see mountains and gullies below them. In the falling darkness Harry saw small collections of lights as they passed over more villages, then a winding road on which a single car was beetling its way home through the hills…

"This is bizarre!" Ron yelled from somewhere behind Alicia and she laughed, the sound getting carried or drowned by the rushing of the wind.

Twilight fell: The sky turned to a light, dusky purple littered with tiny silver stars, and soon it was only the lights of Muggle towns that gave them any clue of how far from the ground they were or how very fast they were traveling. Alicia kept her eyes on ahead of them, glancing around every now and then to see the ground and that everyone else was still following her. Harry had his arms wrapped tightly around his horse's neck. She didn't blame him, Alicia could feel the emotions and pain through the scar on her neck. It worried her, but so did what they were doing to reply to the vision with. She hoped they were doing the right thing.

On they flew through the gathering darkness; Everything was cold around them and Alicia felt it in her face, eyes and fingers, but she did nothing to change her position in fear of loosing her seat, even though her legs were getting sore and stiff. The thestral was flying so far so quickly she didn't know how far they'd gone, how far was left or even what time it was. She had faith that Hagrid was right about their sense of direction though, that the books and information were on their side and they'd reach the ministry quickly. Even if this whole thing worried her she hoped to whole hell that they were running into a trap and Sirius wasn't there. If he was he was going to be rather mad with them… well he'd be mad regardless but… And so would the entire order, running head long into danger without waiting or speaking to Snape without Umbridge around… for acting irrationally.

But this was Sirius and it wasn't their fault Snape, who hated them, was the only one left and that communication was…

Alicia suddenly felt so angry with herself! She's forgotten all about the mirror! Why did they waste all that time with Umbridge's office? How could she have let such trouble occur when it was so much easier!

She felt so annoyed that she didn't realise the Thestral was diving towards the ground until she slid forwards slightly towards it's neck. The tops of buildings came into sight. One of the girls shrieked behind and Alicia glanced back, tightening her hands as she did, but could see no sign of a falling body. Presumably they had received a shock from the change of position. Alicia clutched even tighter with her hands and leaned as close to the body of the horse as she still could, watching as the bright orange lights grew rounder and larger on all sides.

They could see the tops of buildings, streams of headlights like luminous insect eyes, squares of pale yellow that were windows. Quite suddenly, it seemed, they were hurtling toward the pavement. Alicia held on slightly worried they'd crash but the horse touched the dark ground as lightly as a shadow and, after releasing her grip, relaxing her stiff limps and flexing a little, she slid from the back of her thestral. She took a breath and then moved to pat and thank the animal as Harry was looking around at the street where a overflowing dumpster stood a short way from a vandalised telephone box, both drained of colour in the flat orange glare of the streetlights.

Ron landed a short way away and toppled immediately off his thestral onto the pavement.

"Never again," he said, struggling to his feet. He made as though to stride away from his thestral, but, unable to see it, collided with its hindquarters and almost fell over again. "Never, ever again… that was the worst —" Alicia snickered as she watched him, opening and closing her stiff fingers and checking that her wand was still in her pocket.

"That's just cause you can't see it." Alicia believed.

Hermione and Ginny touched down on either side of him. Both slid off their mounts a little more gracefully than Ron, though with similar expressions of relief at being back on firm ground. Neville jumped down, shaking, but Luna dismounted smoothly.

"Where do we go from here, then?" she asked Harry in a politely interested voice, as though this was all a rather interesting day-trip.

"Yeah where's the entrance? I missed that bit?" Alicia admitted looking around.

"Over here," Harry said. He gave his thestral a quick, grateful pat, then led the way quickly to the battered telephone box and opened the door. "Come _on_!" he urged the others as they hesitated.

Alicia looked confused and interested that the phone box seemed to be the entrance, but she moved over first, Ron and Ginny marching obediently behind her. Hermione, Neville, and Luna squashed themselves in after them; Harry took one glance back at the thestrals, now foraging for scraps of rotten food inside the dumpster, then forced himself into the box after Luna.

"Whoever's nearest the receiver, dial six two four four two!" he said. Ron did it, his arm bent bizarrely to reach the dial. As it whirred back into place the cool female voice sounded inside the box, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."

"Harry Potter, Alicia Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger," Harry said very quickly, "Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood… We're here to save someone, unless your Ministry can do it first!"

"Thank you," said the cool female voice. "Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes."

Half a dozen badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins usually appeared. Hermione scooped them up and handed them mutely to Harry over Ginny's head; he glanced at the topmost one.

 _HARRY POTTER_

 _rescue mission._

"Interesting." Alicia mumbled as she looked at hers before pinning it on oddly, moving amongst the tightness within the box.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

"Fine!" Harry said loudly, as his and Alicia's scars gave another throb. "Now can we _move_?"

The floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past the glass windows of the telephone box. The scavenging thestrals were sliding out of sight, blackness closed over their heads, and with a dull grinding noise they sank down into the depths of the Ministry of Magic.

"So we're about to drop into that atrium right? Possibly full of people? What do we do if we're stopped?" Alicia asked a little worries, her brain thinking.

"We—" Harry began

"If you say fight our way through, I'm going to seriously curse you." Alicia warned. Harry said nothing.

A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and, widening, rose up their bodies. Harry bent his knees and held his wand as ready as he could in such cramped conditions, peering through the glass to see whether anybody was waiting for them in the Atrium, but it seemed to be completely empty.

"It's empty." he said.

"What?" Alicia asked "They don't have night workers?"

The light was dimmer than it had been by day. There were no fires burning under the mantelpieces set into the walls, but he saw as the lift slid smoothly to a halt that golden symbols continued to twist sinuously in the dark blue ceiling.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant evening," said the woman's voice.

The door of the telephone box burst open; Harry toppled out of it, followed by Neville and Luna. The only sound in the Atrium was the steady rush of water from the golden fountain, where jets from the wands of the witch and wizard, the point of the centaur's arrow, the tip of the goblin's hat, and the house-elf's ears continued to gush into the surrounding pool.

Alicia found it very strange that there was no one around. They were breaking into the Ministry, the Department of Mysteries to be exact, and it suddenly seemed way too easy… She began to worry, something was definitely not right, maybe Voldemort could be here seeing as how easy it was for them…

"Come on," said Harry quietly and the seven of them sprinted off down the hall, Harry in the lead, past the fountain, toward the desk where the security man who had weighed Harry's wand had sat and which was now deserted. This did not bring any relief to Alicia's worries, but worsened them. This was all an ominous sign…

She brought up the rear as she began to get more and more anxious as they passed the golden gates to the lifts. Harry hit the nearest down button and a lift clattered into sight almost immediately, the golden grilles slid apart with a great, echoing clanking, and they dashed inside. Harry stabbed the number nine button, the grilles closed with a bang, and the lift began to descend, jangling and rattling.

"Guys, something's very wrong." Alicia said, she didn't bother to whisper, the lift was very noisy already. "It should not be this easy to break into the Ministry let alone the Department of Mysteries."

"Maybe the Department of Mysteries will be guarded?" Ron offered.

"I don't know…" Alicia muttered

"If Voldemort wants Harry heres he's not going to let people stop him." Hermione thought

"No… but that does not bring me any comfort." Alicia whispered.

When the lift halted, the cool female voice said, "Department of Mysteries," and the grilles slid open again, they stepped out into the corridor where nothing was moving but the nearest torches, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.

The twins turned to the door, Alicia knew every detail of this corridor though having never set foot in it before. After months and months of dreaming about it, here they were…

The two shared a look and Harry nodded.

"Let's go," he whispered, and the two led the way down the corridor, Luna right behind them, gazing around with her mouth slightly open.

"Okay, listen," said Harry, stopping again within six feet of the door. "Maybe… maybe a couple of people should stay here as a — as a lookout, and —"

"And how're we going to let you know something's coming?" asked Ginny, her eyebrows raised. "You could be miles away."

"We're coming with you, Harry," said Neville.

"Let's get on with it," said Ron firmly.

"I know how you feel but there's no guards and to be honest, I don't think we should be splitting up." Alicia believed as she eyed the door. Harry looked at her but she just moved towards the door and, just like in their dream, it swung straight open, letting them through as Harry and the others followed her.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63:

They were standing in a large, circular room. Everything in here was black including the floor and ceiling — identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors were set at intervals all around the black walls, interspersed with branches of candles whose flames burned blue, their cool, shimmering light reflected in the shining marble floor so that it looked as though there was dark water underfoot.

"Someone shut the door," Harry muttered. Neville obeyed and they were thrown into a dense darkness, with the blue flames being the only light, dancing ghostly over the walls and their reflections across the floor.

Alicia went to move straight for the door Harry had always dragged her towards, directly opposite the entrance, but as the door had closed, the room suddenly gave a great rumble. The candles began to move sideways and the circular room was rotating.

Hermione grabbed Harry's arm and Alicia watched the doors while trying to remember which one was the door they needed to make this quick and easy. But they were all the exact same. She didn't know which door was the exit nor which door was the correct one to move through.

"What was that about?" whispered Ron fearfully.

"I think it was to stop us knowing which door we came in from," said Ginny in a hushed voice.

And it seemed the most likely answer.

Alicia simply pulled out her wand and the tip illuminated, reflecting all around her and off the faces around her, the shiny black room lighting up as though a dozen lights were lit instead of just one.

"How're we going to get back out?" said Neville uncomfortably.

"Well, that doesn't matter now," said Harry forcefully "We won't need to get out till we've found Sirius —"

"Don't go calling for him, though!" Hermione said urgently, but Harry had never needed her advice less; his instinct was to keep as quiet as possible for the time being.

"Where do we go, then, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I don't —" Harry began. He swallowed. "In the dreams I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room — that's this one — and then I went through another door into a room that kind of… glitters. We should try a few doors," he said hastily. "I'll know the right way when I see it. C'mon."

Harry took the first door to try, he pressed his hand against the cool, shining surface and it opened as he raised his wand ready to strike.

After the darkness of the first room, the lamps hanging low on golden chains from this ceiling gave the impression that this long rectangular room was much brighter, though there were no glittering, shimmering lights such as Harry and Alicia had seen in the dreams. The place was quite empty except for a few desks and, in the very middle of the room, an enormous glass tank of deep-green water, big enough for all of them to swim in, which contained a number of pearly white objects that were drifting around lazily in the liquid.

"What're those things?" whispered Ron.

"Dunno," said Harry.

"Are they fish?" breathed Ginny.

"Aquavirius maggots!" said Luna excitedly. "Dad said the Ministry were breeding —"

"No," said Hermione. She sounded odd. She moved forward to look through the side of the tank. "They're brains."

" _Brains_?"

"Yes… I wonder what they're doing with them?"

Alicia looked around the room but stood in the doorway, the last thing they needed was to loose the door they went through and have to start from the beginning again.

"Let's get out of here," said Harry as he joined Hermione by the brain tank and gazed into it. "This isn't right, we need to try another door —"

"There are doors here too," said Ron, pointing around the walls.

"We don't need to waste our time looking." Alicia believed and she stepped aside, indicating for them to rejoin her.

"In my dream I went through that dark room into the second one," he said. "I think we should go back and try from there."

So they hurried back into the dark, circular room.

"Wait!" said Hermione sharply, as Luna made to close the door of the brain room behind them. " _Flagrate_!"

She drew with her wand in midair and a fiery X appeared on the door. No sooner had the door clicked shut behind them was there a great rumbling, and once again the wall began to revolve very fast, but now there was a great red-gold blur in amongst the faint blue, and when all became still again, the fiery cross still burned, showing the door they had already tried.

"Good thinking," said Harry. "Okay, let's try this one —"

Again he strode directly at the door facing him and pushed it open, his wand still raised, the others at his heels.

This room was larger than the last, dimly lit and rectangular, and the centre of it was sunken, forming a great stone pit some twenty feet below them. They were standing on the topmost tier of what seemed to be stone benches running all around the room and descending in steep steps like an amphitheater, or the courtroom in which Harry had been tried by the Wizengamot. Instead of a chained chair, however, there was a raised stone dais in the centre of the lowered floor, and upon this dais stood a stone archway that looked so ancient, cracked, and crumbling that it seemed amazing that the thing was still standing. Unsupported by any surrounding wall, the archway was hung with a tattered black curtain or veil which, despite the complete stillness of the cold surrounding air, was fluttering very slightly as though it had just been touched.

"Who's there?" said Harry, jumping down onto the bench below. There was no answering voice, but the veil continued to flutter and sway.

"Careful!" whispered Hermione.

Alicia stared at it with immense interest. She had abandoned her position in the doorway, which remained open, and followed Harry towards the archway. It was much taller when the two reached the bottom compared to standing above with the others.

Despite there being no breeze however, the curtain swayed gently again, like people were moving past it.

"Sirius?" Harry spoke again, but much more quietly now that he was nearer.

But when Harry pulled back the vail, there was nothing, an empty archway in which the other side of the vail could be seen. Alicia could feel like it was not an empty archway though, there was something about it.

"Let's go," called Hermione from halfway up the stone steps. "This isn't right, Harry, come on, let's go…"

She sounded scared, much more scared than she had in the room where the brains swam. Alicia simply stared at the archway and then grabbed Harry's hand to stop him, she could feel his desire to move closer.

"We shouldn't mess with what we don't know…" she said quietly though still watching the archway.

"Alicia, come on!" Hermione said worried.

Still neither of them moved.

"Harry, let's go, okay?" said Hermione more forcefully.

"Okay," he said, but he did not move. Alicia eyes widened over so slightly in surprise, for she could have sworn she'd just heard faint whispering, murmuring noises coming from the other side of the veil.

"What are you saying?" he said very loudly, so that the words echoed all around the surrounding stone benches.

"Nobody's talking, Harry!" said Hermione, now moving over to him.

"Someone's whispering behind there," he said, moving out of her reach and continuing to frown at the veil. "Is that you, Ron?"

"I'm here, mate," said Ron, appearing around the side of the archway.

"Can't anyone else hear it?" Harry demanded, for the whispering and murmuring was becoming louder; without really meaning to put it there, he found his foot was on the dais.

"I can hear it." Alicia whispered "But… what they're saying I can't make out…" she looked intrigued and confused.

"I can hear them too," breathed Luna, joining them around the side of the archway and gazing at the swaying veil. "There are people _in there_!"

"What do you mean, ' _in there_ '?" demanded Hermione, jumping down from the bottom step and sounding much angrier than the occasion warranted. "There isn't any _'in there,_ ' it's just an archway, there's no room for anybody to be there — Harry, stop it, come away —"

She grabbed his arm and pulled, but he resisted.

"Harry, we are supposed to be here for Sirius!" she said in a high-pitched, strained voice.

"Sirius," Harry repeated, still gazing, mesmerised, at the continuously swaying veil. "Yeah…"

Alicia snapped and turned immediately from the vail.

"Everyone stop looking at it. God, it's hypnotising." she realised as she shook her head and she too grabbed Harry to pull him away. He finally took several steps back from the dais and turned away from the Vail.

"Let's go," he said.

"That's what I've been trying to — well, come on, then!" said Hermione, and she led the way back around the dais. On the other side, Ginny and Neville were staring, apparently entranced, at the veil too. Without speaking, Hermione took hold of Ginny's arm, Ron Neville's, and they marched them firmly back to the lowest stone bench and clambered all the way back up to the door.

"What d'you reckon that arch was?" Harry asked Hermione as they regained the dark circular room.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it was dangerous," she said firmly, again inscribing a fiery cross upon the door.

Once more the wall spun and became still again. Harry approached a door at random and pushed. It did not move.

"What's wrong?" said Hermione.

"It's… locked…" said Harry, throwing his weight at the door, but it did not budge.

"This is it, then, isn't it?" said Ron excitedly, joining Harry in the attempt to force the door open. "Bound to be!"

"Yeah of course the one we want is locked." Alicia said annoyed.

"Get out of the way!" said Hermione sharply. She pointed her wand at the place where a lock would have been on an ordinary door and said, " _Alohomora_!"

Nothing happened.

"Sirius's knife!" said Harry, and he pulled it out from inside his robes and slid it into the crack between the door and the wall. The others all watched eagerly as he ran it from top to bottom, withdrew it, and then flung his shoulder again at the door. It remained as firmly shut as ever. What was more, when Harry looked down at the knife, he saw that the blade had melted.

"Right, we're leaving that room," said Hermione decisively.

"But what if that's the one?" said Ron, staring at it with a mixture of apprehension and longing.

"It can't be, Harry could get through all the doors in his dream," said Hermione, marking the door with another fiery cross as Harry replaced the now-useless handle of Sirius's knife in his pocket.

"You know what could be in there?" said Luna eagerly, as the wall started to spin yet again.

"Something blibbering, no doubt," said Hermione under her breath, and Neville gave a nervous little laugh.

The wall slid back to a halt and Alicia picked a door this time, Harry leaning close over her shoulder with anticipation.

"This is it!" Harry said at once as Alicia smirked slightly.

Both knew it at once by the beautiful, dancing, diamond-sparkling light. Now looking at it properly, without the eagerness that filled her when following the dream, Alicia noticed clocks gleaming from every surface, large and small, grandfather and carriage, hanging in spaces between the bookcases or standing on desks ranging the length of the room, so that a busy, relentless ticking filled the place like thousands of minuscule, marching footsteps. The source of the dancing, diamond-bright light was a towering crystal bell jar that stood at the far end of the room.

"This way!"

He led the way forward down the narrow space between the lines of the desks, heading, as he had done in his dream, for the source of the light, the crystal bell jar quite as tall as he was that stood on a desk and appeared to be full of a billowing, glittering wind.

"Oh _look_!" said Ginny, as they drew nearer, pointing at the very heart of the bell jar.

Drifting along in the sparkling current inside was a tiny, jewel-bright egg. As it rose in the jar it cracked open and a hummingbird emerged, which was carried to the very top of the jar, but as it fell on the draft, its feathers became bedraggled and damp again, and by the time it had been borne back to the bottom of the jar it had been enclosed once more in its egg.

"Keep going!" said Harry sharply, because Ginny showed signs of wanting to stop and watch the egg's progress back into a bird.

Alicia however hadn't even stopped and was moving towards the next door. Behind it she knew were the spheres she predicted were full of memories of sorts.

"You dawdled enough by that old arch!" Ginny said crossly, but followed him past the bell jar to the only door behind it where they joined Alicia.

"This is it," Harry said again. "It's through here —"

Everyone had their wands out and Alicia felt more worried than she had upstairs. They'd either find Sirius or they wouldn't and they would have walked straight into a trap. Either that or the memory they witnessed was nothing more than a plan or desire that hadn't happened yet. She hoped that was it, that they'd find nothing, go upstairs to the fireplaces, go to Grimmauld Place and find Sirius because Kreacher had lied. No Death Eaters, no danger, no Voldemort, just an overreaction.

Alicia looked at Harry and he nodded to her before she pushed on the door and it swung open.

They were there, they had found the place: high as a church and full of nothing but towering shelves covered in small, dusty, glass orbs. They glimmered dully in the light issuing from more candle brackets set at intervals along the shelves. Like those in the circular room behind them, their flames were burning blue. The room was very cold.

Harry edged forward and peered down one of the shadowy aisles between two rows of shelves. He could not hear anything nor see the slightest sign of movement.

"You said it was row ninety-seven," whispered Hermione.

"Yeah," breathed Harry, looking up at the end of the closest row. Beneath the branch of blue-glowing candles protruding from it glimmered the silver figure 53.

"We need to go right, I think," whispered Hermione, squinting to the next row. "Yes… that's fifty-four…"

"Keep your wands out," Harry said softly.  
They crept forward, staring behind them as they went on down the long alleys of shelves, the farther ends of which were in near total darkness. Tiny, yellowing labels had been stuck beneath each glass orb on the shelves, some of them had a weird, liquid glow; others were as dull and dark within as blown lightbulbs.

Alicia listened hard around her but she couldn't hear any talking nor could she hear anyone screaming. It was so quiet that if Sirius was being tortured she was sure the sound would bounce all over the room.

They passed row eighty-four… eighty-five…

There was the chance that Voldemort had heard them come in and the silence fell on purpose.

Or even more likely, no one was here. It had never been real.

"Ninety-seven!" whispered Hermione.

They stood grouped around the end of the row, gazing down the alley beside it. There was nobody there.

"He's right down at the end," said Harry, whose mouth had become slightly dry. "You can't see properly from here…"

And he led them forward, between the towering rows of glass balls, some of which glowed softly as they passed…

"He should be near here," whispered Harry, convinced that every step was going to bring the ragged form of Sirius into view upon the darkened floor. "Anywhere ahead… really close…"

"Harry?" said Hermione tentatively, but he did not want to respond. His mouth was very dry now.

"Somewhere about… here…" he said.

They had reached the end of the row and emerged into more dim candlelight. There was nobody there at all. All was echoing, dusty silence.

Alicia was silent as she looked around. There was not even a little sign of some struggle or that anyone had walked around here.

She wanted to sigh a sigh of relief, Sirius wasn't here. It wasn't real. He wasn't in trouble. But there was still the fact that Voldemort had coaxed them here, he had wanted something from this room, one of the silver orbs.

"He might be…" Harry whispered hoarsely, peering down the alley next door. "Or maybe…" He hurried to look down the one beyond that.

"Harry?" said Hermione again.

"What?" he snarled.

"I … I don't think Sirius is here."

Nobody spoke. Harry did not look at any of them.

Alicia on the other hand had moved to the shelves and was looking along them, she began to read the pieces of parchment stuck under every orb. Some were so old the letters had faded and could not be read. As she moved along and read them, she realised they had names and dates on them.

Harry had taken to running up the space at the end of the rows, staring down them. Empty aisle after empty aisle flickered past. He ran the other way, back past his staring companions. There was no sign of Sirius anywhere, nor any hint of a struggle.

Ron moved over to see what Alicia was doing as she moved from row to row reading the parchment before he stopped. Alicia looked up, stretching and straining his neck as Ron nudged her and pointed to a Sphere.

"Harry?" Ron called.

"What?"

"Have you seen this?" said Ron.

"What?" said Harry, but eagerly this time and he strode back to where they were all standing, a little way down row ninety-seven, to find Alicia and Ron staring at one of the dusty glass spheres on the shelves.

"What?" Harry repeated glumly.

"It's — it's got your name on," said Ron.

Harry moved a little closer. Ron was pointing at one of the small glass spheres that glowed with a dull inner light, though it was very dusty and appeared not to have been touched for many years.

"My name?" said Harry blankly.

 _S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D._

 _Dark Lord and (?) Harry Potter_

Alicia's eyes had hardened at the names and at the sphere. Her mind began to click despite the fact that she didn't know what the sphere was. She understood but didn't completely understand why.

Harry stared at it.

"What is it?" Ron asked, sounding unnerved. "What's your name doing down here?"

He glanced along at the other labels on that stretch of shelf.

"I'm not here," he said, sounding perplexed. "None of the rest of us are here… Not even Alicia."

"Harry, I don't think you should touch it," said Hermione sharply, as he stretched out his hand.

"Why not?" he said. "It's something to do with me, isn't it?"

"Don't, Harry," said Neville suddenly. Harry looked around at him. Neville's round face was shining slightly with sweat. He looked as though he could not take much more suspense. Harry didn't listen and he reached some more but Alicia grabbed his wrist.

"No." she said. "We need to leave. Now." she decided strongly, and Harry looked at her to see her serious expression as she looked around, as though looking for someone.

"Why?"

"Harry, Sirius isn't here. It was a trick. Voldemort wants something in the Ministry, a weapon. Now a Weapon does not need to be something like a gun or a bomb." she explained "Voldemort has been thinking of this room and trying to enter it for months, that's why we've seen it. But he had to get you to grab it because he couldn't touch it." she reminded him and turned back to the sphere.

"This has got to be what he wants. Don't touch it, leave it. If he can't touch it than it's safe here. We need to get out of here now."

"It's got my name on," said Harry

"Harry, it also has _his_ name on it! Do me this one favour, do not do what he clearly wants you to do." Alicia said still holding his wrist. "Walk away, while we still can. We've found out what he wants,"

"I want to know why."

"So do I but we know enough to question Sirius and Lupin, and even Dumbledore. Let's go." Alicia said

"You think they'll tell us?"

"I think we need to move on before something terrible happens. If Voldemort wanted us here than his Death Eaters probably are as well, waiting, watching. I don't know but the entire Ministry is empty. When does that happen? Voldemort wants something. If anything we have to do more than our best to keep it from him. No one's in trouble, there's no point in being here. Turn around, walk away." She said and she was loosing her patients, thinking he was being reckless and stupid. They should turn and leave while they still could, find the door out and leave it at that. Go back to Hogwarts or even take a fireplace to Grimmauld Place. Anything but be exactly where Voldemort wanted them to be.

She turned around to look through the shelves again and saw that Hermione was watching Harry, seeming to agree with Alicia, while Ginny also looked around with the black-haired girl.

"Harry!" Alicia turned around to see he'd picked the dusty ball up anyway.

She very quickly became very angry and frustrated at him. He never seemed to listen to her!

Alicia turned and, her hand tight around her wand, stared worried. Everything was wrong. Ginny moved in next to her as everyone else moved closer to Harry expectantly. Both looked up either end of the isle before Alicia's eyes widened and Ginny backed into her from behind.

"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me."


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64:

Black shapes were emerging out of thin air all around them, blocking their way left and right; eyes glinted through slits in hoods, a dozen lit wand tips were pointing directly at their hearts. Ginny gave a gasp of horror as the others all turned around at the voice.

"To me, Potter," repeated the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy as he held out his hand, palm up.

Alicia looked around, they were seriously outnumbered, not only that but even if they were confident in their spell work, these were Death Eaters and they were fifteen and fourteen year olds. Her brain began to work quickly and she glanced at the sphere in Harry's hand several times. They wanted it, she knew that, so they had to keep it.

"To me," said Malfoy yet again.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry said.

Several of the Death Eaters laughed. A harsh female voice from the midst of the shadowy figures to Harry's left said triumphantly, "The Dark Lord always knows!"

"Always," echoed Malfoy softly. "Now, give me the prophecy, Potter."

"I want to know where Sirius is!"

" _I want to know where Sirius is!_ " mimicked the woman to his left. She and her fellow Death Eaters had closed in so that they were mere feet away from Harry and the others, the light from their wands dazzling.

"You've got him," said Harry. "He's here. I know he is."

Alicia didn't understand why he continued to hang on this dead hope. Sirius wasn't here, he never had been. She knew it and she was trying very hard to remain calm and not get seriously annoyed at Harry's ignorance and haste.

" _The little baby woke up fwightened and fort what it dweamed was twoo_ ," said the woman in a horrible, mock-baby voice. Harry felt Ron stir beside him.

"Don't do anything," he muttered. "Not yet —"

The woman who had mimicked him let out a raucous scream of laughter.

"You hear him? _You hear him_? Giving instructions to the other children as though he thinks of fighting us!"

"Oh, you don't know Potter as I do, Bellatrix," said Malfoy softly. "He has a great weakness for heroics; the Dark Lord understands this about him. _Now give me the prophecy, Potter_."

"I know Sirius is here," said Harry, Alicia however could feel his panic rising. "I know you've got him!"

More of the Death Eaters laughed, though the woman still laughed loudest of all.

"It's time you learned the difference between life and dreams, Potter. You really should have listened to your sister, she does seem to have her head screwed on better than you." said Malfoy. "Now give me the prophecy, or we start using wands."

"Go on, then," said Harry, raising his own wand to chest height. As he did so, the five wands of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna rose on either side of him. Alicia's was already pointed at Mafloy, but she'd changed it for Bellatrix who was starting to rise the anger within her.

But the Death Eaters did not strike.

"Hand over the prophecy and no one need get hurt," said Malfoy coolly.

"When you make a bluff you should really hold up to it." Alicia said simply. They weren't going to hurt them, they wanted the fragile glass in Harry's hand, if it was broken…

It was Harry's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, right!" he said. "I give you this — prophecy, is it? And you'll just let us skip off home, will you?"

The words were hardly out of his mouth when the female Death Eater shrieked, " _Accio Proph_ —"

Harry was just ready for her. He shouted " _Protego_!" before she had finished her spell, and though the glass sphere slipped to the tips of his fingers he managed to cling on to it.

"Oh, he knows how to play, little bitty baby Potter," she said, her mad eyes staring through the slits in her hood. "Very well, then —"

"I TOLD YOU, NO!" Lucius Malfoy roared at the woman. "If you smash it — !"

Yes this was exactly what they needed. They were outnumbered by the Death Eaters, but they wouldn't touch them, if the Death Eater's failed, they were in a lot more trouble.

 _So all we need to do is keep this sphere from them._ Alicia knew. _We need to get everyone out._ Alicia thought and she and Harry shared a look.

 _Well I don't want it._ Harry admitted

 _No. Because we don't know what it is._

 _I can't have them paying for my stupidity. I'm sorry. I should have listened._

 _Yes you should have, but let's worry about that once we're away from here._ Alicia decided

The woman stepped forward, away from her fellows, and pulled off her hood. Azkaban had hollowed Bellatrix Lestrange's face, making it gaunt and skull-like, but it was alive with a feverish, fanatical glow.

"You need more persuasion?" she said, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Very well — take the smallest one," she ordered the Death Eaters beside her. "Let him watch while we torture the little girl. I'll do it."

Harry felt the others close in around Ginny. He and Alicia had their arms against one another as they both stepped sideways so that she was right behind them. Harry held the prophecy up to his chest in prime position.

"You'll have to smash this if you want to attack any of us," he told Bellatrix. "I don't think your boss will be too pleased if you come back without it, will he?"

She did not move; she merely stared at him, the tip of her tongue moistening her thin mouth.

"So," said Harry, "what kind of prophecy are we talking about anyway?"

 _We need to keep them talking. Harry thought_

 _And then what? We're still surrounded and they know a lot more than we do._ Alicia replied as she glanced around.

"What kind of prophecy?" repeated Bellatrix, the grin fading from her face. "You jest, Harry Potter."

"Nope, not jesting," said Harry, his eyes flicking from Death Eater to Death Eater, looking for a weak link, a space through which they could escape. "How come Voldemort wants it?"

Several of the Death Eaters let out low hisses.

"You dare speak his name?" whispered Bellatrix.

"Yeah," said Harry, maintaining his tight grip on the glass ball, expecting another attempt to bewitch it from him. "Yeah, I've got no problem saying Vol —"

"Shut your mouth!" Bellatrix shrieked. "You dare speak his name with your unworthy lips, you dare besmirch it with your half-blood's tongue, you dare —"

"And yet you so called pureblood are scared to speak the name yourself." Alicia cut her off "It is nothing but a name, nothing more than a word."

"Did you know he's a half-blood too?" said Harry recklessly. Hermione gave a little moan in his ear. "Voldemort? Yeah, his mother was a witch but his dad was a Muggle — or has he been telling you lot he's pureblood?"

" _STUPEF_ —"

" _NO_! "

A jet of red light had shot from the end of Bellatrix Lestrange's wand, but Malfoy had deflected it. His spell caused hers to hit the shelf a foot to the left of Harry and several of the glass orbs there shattered.

Two figures, pearly white as ghosts, fluid as smoke, unfurled themselves from the fragments of broken glass upon the floor and each began to speak. Their voices vied with each other, so that only fragments of what they were saying could be heard over Malfoy and Bellatrix's shouts.

"… _at the Solstice will come a new_ …" said the figure of an old, bearded man.

"DO NOT ATTACK! WE NEED THE PROPHECY!"

"He dared — he dares —" shrieked Bellatrix incoherently. "— He stands there — filthy half-blood —"

"WAIT UNTIL WE'VE GOT THE PROPHECY!" bawled Malfoy.

"… _and none will come after_ …" said the figure of a young woman. The two figures that had burst from the shattered spheres had melted into thin air. Nothing remained of them or their erstwhile homes but fragments of glass upon the floor.

Alicia stared at the ghostly figures and then to the sphere in Harry's hand.

Prophecies… it was a prediction of something to come. This one was to do with Harry and Voldemort… could it be able the future between the two and what was to come?

But it was covered in so much dust it seemed older… so then had it already happened or had it just been predicted years ago? Voldemort clearly knew about it, but he had not heard it? He wanted to know what his future was with Harry? Perhaps after failing to kill him several times already he figured he should hear the future…

Knowledge is power…

 _I've got an idea._ Alicia looked at Harry. _Those orbs… we can use them. We need to tell the others though…_ he believed and Alicia's eyes scanned the shelves before looking back at the broken ones.

She smirked ever so slightly and moved her hand backwards to Ginny behind her.

"You haven't told me what's so special about this prophecy I'm supposed to be handing over," Harry said, playing for time. Alicia felt his weight shift slightly. He moved his foot slowly sideways, feeling around for someone else's.

"Do not play games with us, Potter," said Malfoy.

"I'm not playing games," said Harry, half his mind on the conversation, half on his wandering foot. And then he found someone's toes and pressed down upon them. A sharp intake of breath behind him told him they were Hermione's.

"What?" she whispered.

"Dumbledore never told you that the reason you bear that scar was hidden in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries?" said Malfoy sneeringly. Alicia stopped and turned to Malfoy.

"I — what?" said Harry, and for a moment he quite forgot his plan. "What about my scar?"

" _What_?" whispered Hermione more urgently behind him.

"Can this be?" said Malfoy, sounding maliciously delighted; some of the Death Eaters were laughing again, and under cover of their laughter, Harry hissed to Hermione, moving his lips as little as possible, "Smash shelves —"

"Dumbledore never told you?" Malfoy repeated. "Well, this explains why you didn't come earlier, Potter, the Dark Lord wondered why —"

"— when I say go —"

"— you didn't come running when he showed you the place where it was hidden in your dreams. He thought natural curiosity would make you want to hear the exact wording…"

"Did he?" said Harry.

Alicia was eyeing all the Death Eaters, she'd counted and calculated and knew exactly which points to point her wand at and the perfect spells to do so with.

Behind her she could feel rather than hear Hermione passing Harry's message to the others and he sought to keep talking, to distract the Death Eaters. "So he wanted me to come and get it, did he? Why?"

" _Why_?" Malfoy sounded incredulously delighted. "Because the only people who are permitted to retrieve a prophecy from the Department of Mysteries, Potter, are those about whom it was made, as the Dark Lord discovered when he attempted to use others to steal it for him."

"And why did he want to steal a prophecy about me?"

"About both of you, Potter, about both of you… Haven't you ever wondered why the Dark Lord tried to kill you as a baby?"

So the Prophecy was about their futures, and Voldemort had heard some of it and then gone to kill Harry to stop it? Was Alicia and Harry the way they where, scarred, marked and alone within the world for so long, all because of this tiny ball in Harry's hand.

Alicia instantly wanted to smash it.

"Someone made a prophecy about Voldemort and me?" he said quietly, gazing at Lucius Malfoy. "And he's made me come and get it for him? Why couldn't he come and get it himself?"

Alicia felt this a stupid question. Why would Voldemort come to the Ministry when he could use the fact that the world didn't know he was back to his advantage?

"Get it himself?" shrieked Bellatrix on a cackle of mad laughter. "The Dark Lord, walk into the Ministry of Magic, when they are so sweetly ignoring his return? The Dark Lord, reveal himself to the Aurors, when at the moment they are wasting their time on my dear cousin?"

"So he's got you doing his dirty work for him, has he?" said Harry. "Like he tried to get Sturgis to steal it — and Bode?"

"Very good, Potter, very good…" said Malfoy slowly. "But the Dark Lord knows you are not unintell —"

"NOW!" yelled Harry.

Seven different voices bellowed " _REDUCTO_!" Seven curses flew in seven different directions and the shelves opposite them exploded as they hit. The towering structure swayed as a hundred glass spheres burst apart, pearly-white figures unfurled into the air and floated there, their voices echoing from who knew what long-dead past amid the torrent of crashing glass and splintered wood now raining down upon the floor —

"RUN!" Harry yelled, and as the shelves swayed precariously and more glass spheres began to pour from above. Alicia turned back down the isle in the direction of the door. She pointed her wand and several bursts of red lights flew to where she remembered Death Eaters to have been standing. She didn't bother to see if they'd hit and continued to run from the circling of black hooded figures. They were all yelling, there were cries of pain, thunderous crashes as the shelves collapsed upon themselves, weirdly echoing fragments of the Seers unleashed from their spheres —

The way ahead was clear, Harry had a handful of Hermione's robes in his hands and Ron, Ginny, and Luna sprint past them both as Alicia followed, their arms all over their heads. She ducked sideways down another isle as a Death Eater came launching out of the mess they'd made and ran parallel with Harry and Hermione who she could see through the shelf as the Death Eater instead caught Harry by the shoulder; he heard Hermione shout "Stupefy!" and the hand released him at once.

At the end of the isles the three turned right and sprinted in earnest. Neville was following them and Hermione was urging him on as he tried to keep up.

The door through which they had come was ajar straight ahead, the glittering light of the bell jar shining through it. Harry pelted through it first, followed by Hermione, Alicia and Neville, the prophecy still clutched tight and safe in his hand. Harry slammed the door shut behind them and Hermione pointed her wand at the door.

" _Colloportus_!" gasped Hermione and the door sealed itself with an odd squelching noise.

"Where — where are the others?" gasped Harry.

Alicia had sworn that the other three had ran past them during all the commotion and would have expected that Ron, Luna, and Ginny would be waiting in this room, but there was nobody there.

"They must have gone the wrong way!" whispered Hermione, terror in her face.

"Listen!" whispered Neville.

Footsteps and shouts echoed from behind the door they had just sealed. Harry put his ear close to the door to listen and heard Lucius Malfoy roar: "Leave Nott, _leave him, I say_ , the Dark Lord will not care for Nott's injuries as much as losing that prophecy — Jugson, come back here, we need to organise! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary — Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left, Crabbe, Rabastan, go right — Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead — Macnair and Avery, through here — Rookwood, over there — Mulciber, come with me!"

"What do we do?" Hermione asked Harry, trembling from head to foot.

"The Ministry is huge, running around to find the others could get us lost but that could also let us loose the Death Eaters." Alicia thought quickly. "There are doors everywhere they'll come out somewhere." Harry nodded

"We shouldn't stand here waiting for them to find us, for a start," said Harry. "Let's get away from this door…"

They ran, quietly as they could, past the shimmering bell jar where the tiny egg was hatching and unhatching, toward the exit into the circular hallway at the far end of the room. They were almost there when something large and heavy collided with the door Hermione had charmed shut.

"Stand aside!" said a rough voice. " _Alohomora_!"

As the door flew open, Harry, Hermione, Alicia and Neville dived under desks. They could see the bottom of the two Death Eaters' robes drawing nearer, their feet moving rapidly.

"They might've run straight through to the hall," said the rough voice.

"Check under the desks," said another.

Alicia waited before she heard Harry shout.

" _STUPEF_ Y!"

A jet of red light hit the nearest Death Eater; he fell backward into a grandfather clock and knocked it over. The second Death Eater, however, had leapt aside to avoid Harry's spell and now pointed his own wand at Hermione, who had crawled out from under the desk to get a better aim.

"Avada —"

Alicia got to her feet quickly to see Harry launch himself across the floor and grabbed the Death Eater around the knees, causing him to topple and his aim to go awry. Neville overturned his desk in his anxiety to help; pointing his wand wildly at the struggling pair he cried, " _EXPELLIARMUS_ !"

Both Harry's and the Death Eater's wands flew out of their hands and soared back toward the entrance to the Hall of Prophecy; both scrambled to their feet and charged after them, the Death Eater in front and Harry hot on his heels, Neville bringing up the rear, plainly horrorstruck at what he had done.

"Get out of the way, Harry!" yelled Neville, clearly determined to repair the damage.

Harry flung himself sideways as Neville took aim again and shouted, "STUPEFY !"

The jet of red light flew right over the Death Eater's shoulder and hit a glass-fronted cabinet on the wall full of variously shaped hourglasses. The cabinet fell to the floor and burst apart, glass flying everywhere, then sprang back up onto the wall, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered —

The Death Eater had snatched up his wand, which lay on the floor beside the glittering bell jar. Harry ducked down behind another desk as the man turned — his mask had slipped so that he could not see, he ripped it off with his free hand and shouted, " _STUP_ —"

" _PETRIFICUS TOTALUS_!" Alicia shouted pointing her wand at the same time Hermione screamed. " _STUPEFY_!"

The two sets of light hit the Death Eater in the middle of his chest; he froze, his arm snapping to his side from its raised position, his wand fell to the floor with a clatter and he collapsed backward toward the bell jar. Harry expected to hear a clunk, for the man to hit solid glass and slide off the jar onto the floor, but instead, his head sank through the surface of the bell jar as though it was nothing but a soap bubble and he came to rest, sprawled on his back on the table, with his head lying inside the jar full of glittering wind.

"Good combo." Alicia mumbled to Hermione.

" _Accio Wand_!" cried Hermione. Harry's wand flew from a dark corner into her hand and she threw it to him.

"Thanks," he said, "right, let's get out of —"

"Look out!" said Neville, horrified, staring at the Death Eater's head in the bell jar.

All four of them raised their wands again, but none of them struck. They were all gazing, openmouthed, appalled, at what was happening to the man's head.

It was shrinking very fast, growing balder and balder, the black hair and stubble retracting into his skull, his cheeks smooth, his skull round and covered with a peachlike fuzz…

A baby's head now sat grotesquely on top of the thick, muscled neck of the Death Eater. But even as they watched, their mouths open, the head began to swell to its previous proportions again, thick black hair was sprouting from the pate and chin…

"It's time," said Hermione in an awestruck voice. " _Time_ …"

"Reversing and replaying…" Alicia mumbled

The Death Eater shook his ugly head again, trying to clear it, as though the potion had revived and unfrozen him, but before he could pull himself together again, it began to shrink back to babyhood once more…

There was a shout from a room nearby, then a crash and a scream.

"RON?" Harry yelled, turning quickly from the monstrous transformation taking place before them. "GINNY? LUNA?"

"Harry!" Hermione screamed.

The Death Eater had pulled his head out of the bell jar. His appearance was utterly bizarre, his tiny baby's head bawling loudly while his thick arms flailed dangerously in all directions, narrowly missing Harry, who ducked. Harry raised his wand but to his amazement Hermione seized his arm.

"You can't hurt a baby!"

"It's not a baby!" Alicia disagreed

There was no time to argue the point. More footsteps were growing louder from the Hall of Prophecy they had just left and knew, too late, that he ought not to have shouted and given away their position.

"I say we go back to the stealth thing." Alicia decided and she was first to turn for the door, standing ajar at the end of the room, and leading back into the black hallway.

She was also first to freeze when she saw two more Death Eaters on the other side of it, Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her to the left, bursting into a small, dark cluttered office and slamming the door behind them.

" _Collo_ —" began Hermione, but before she could complete the spell the door had burst open again and the two Death Eaters had come hurtling inside. With a cry of triumph, both yelled, " _IMPEDIMENTA_!"

Harry, Hermione, Alicia and Neville were all knocked backward off their feet. Neville was thrown over the desk and disappeared from view, Hermione smashed into a bookcase and was promptly deluged in a cascade of heavy books, Alicia hit a filing carbonate and then the wall before crashing to the floor and the back of Harry's head slammed into the stone wall behind him.

"WE'VE GOT HIM!" yelled the Death Eater nearest Harry, "IN AN OFFICE OFF —"

" _Silencio_!" cried Hermione, and the man's voice was extinguished. He continued to mouth through the hole in his mask, but no sound came out; he was thrust aside by his fellow.

" _Petrificus Totalus_!" shouted Harry, as the second Death Eater raised his wand. His arms and legs snapped together and he fell forward, facedown onto the rug at Harry's feet, stiff as a board and unable to move at all.

"Well done, Ha —"

But the Death Eater Hermione had just struck dumb made a sudden slashing movement with his wand, from which flew a streak of what looked like purple flame. It passed right across Hermione's chest; she gave a tiny "oh!" as though of surprise and then crumpled onto the floor where she lay motionless.

"HERMIONE!"

Alicia and Harry fell to their knees beside her as Neville crawled rapidly toward her from under the desk, his wand held up in front of him. The Death Eater kicked out hard at Neville's head as he emerged — his foot broke Neville's wand in two and connected with his face — Neville gave a howl of pain and recoiled, clutching his mouth and nose. Harry twisted around, his own wand held high, and saw that the Death Eater had ripped off his mask and was pointing his wand directly at Harry, who recognised the long, pale, twisted face from the _Daily Prophet_ : Antonin Dolohov, the wizard who had murdered the Prewetts. Dolohov grinned.

With his free hand, he pointed from the prophecy still clutched in Harry's hand, to himself, then at Hermione.

The meaning was clear despite the fact that he couldn't speak.

"Like you won't kill us all the moment I hand it over anyway!" said Harry.

"Whaddever you do, Harry," said Neville fiercely from under the desk, lowering his hands to show a clearly broken nose and blood pouring down his mouth and chin, "don'd gib it to him!"

Then there was a crash outside the door, and Dolohov looked over his shoulder — the baby-headed Death Eater had appeared in the doorway, his head bawling, his great fists still flailing uncontrollably at everything around him.

Harry seized his chance: " _PETRIFICUS TOTALUS_!"

" _STUPIFY_!" Alicia stunned the baby Death Eater at the same time.

The spell hit Dolohov before he could block it, and he toppled forward across his comrade, both of them rigid as boards and unable to move an inch.

"Hermione," Harry said at once, shaking her. "Hermione, wake up…"

"Whaddid he do to her?" said Neville, crawling out from under the desk again to kneel at her other side, blood streaming from his rapidly swelling nose.

Alicia began to poke Hermione and check her over before glancing at Neville.

"I dunno…"

"Here Neville." Alicia pointed her wand and he looked at her " _Episky_!" the blood stopped there was a quick crack and Neville shouted out at the pain. "That'll fix your nose." she said before turning for Hermione and checking her over. Neville groped for Hermione's wrist.

"That's a pulse, Harry, I'm sure it is…"

"She's alive?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"She is," Alicia said.

"Can you fix it?"

"Maybe but I don't know what he did to her, I've never seen a spell like that." she said. "We need to find the others and get out of here. It's likely a curse but we'd better hurry, and we're not leaving without everyone." Harry nodded in agreement before turning to Neville.

"Neville, we're not far from the exit," Harry whispered. "We're right next to that circular room… If we can just get you across it and find the right door before any more Death Eaters come, I'll bet you can get Hermione up the corridor and into the lift… Then you could find someone… Raise the alarm…"

"And what are you going to do?" said Neville, mopping the blood from his nose with his sleeve and frowning at Harry.

"We've got to find the others," said Harry as Alicia muttered a few spells, her wand pointed at Hermione.

"Well, I'll going to find them with you," said Neville firmly.

"But Hermione —"

"We'll take her with us," said Neville firmly. "I'll carry her — you're both better at fighting them than I am —"

He stood up and seized one of Hermione's arms, and Alicia, admitting defeat in being able to help Hermione, bent down to do the same, it probably wasn't good they left anyone alone. Neville glared at Harry, who hesitated before then helping them hoist Hermione's limp form over Neville's shoulders.

"Wait," said Harry, snatching up Hermione's wand from the floor and shoving it into Neville's hand, "you'd better take this…"

Neville kicked aside the broken fragments of his own wand as they walked slowly toward the door.

"My gran's going to kill me," said Neville thickly, "That was my dad's old wand…"

"I think you'll find she'll be very proud you put yourself into danger for your friends and to be honest, you need your own wand anyway." Alicia believed as she moved to the door. Harry nodded to her and she peaked out to look cautiously. It was silent and empty besides the baby headed Death Eater lying at the door frame.

Alicia nodded to Harry.

"Empty." she whispered and glanced at Neville. "Let's be quick and quiet. They may have heard the commotion." Harry nodded and they crept out of the office. The black hallways now seemed to be completely deserted.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65:

They walked a few steps forward, Neville tottering slightly due to Hermione's weight. The door of the Time Room swung shut behind them, and the walls began to rotate once more. Alicia frowned as she looked at the spinning room, ignoring the throbbing in her back from hitting the cabinet. Hermione's fiery crosses had faded from the doors.

"We'll have to start again." Alicia whispered.

"So which way d'you reck — ?"

But before they could make a decision as to which way to try, a door to their right sprang open and three people fell out of it.

"Ron!" croaked Harry, dashing toward them. "Ginny — are you all — ?"

"Harry," said Ron, giggling weakly, lurching forward, seizing the front of Harry's robes and gazing at him with unfocused eyes. "There you are… Ha ha ha… You look funny, Harry… You're all messed up…"

Alicia caught Ginny as she stumbled, one of her legs not being able to hold her weight. Alicia bent down to take a look, being careful as she glanced at Ron. His face was very white and something dark was trickling from the corner of his mouth. Next moment his knees had given way, but he still clutched the front of Harry's robes, so that Harry was pulled into a kind of bow.

"Ginny?" Harry said fearfully. "What happened?"

"I think her ankle's broken, I heard something crack," whispered Luna, who was bending over her and who alone seemed to be unhurt. "Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating in the dark —"

"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" said Ron, still giggling feebly. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus — ha ha ha —"

A bubble of blood grew at the corner of Ron's mouth and burst.

"Anyway, one of them grabbed Ginny's foot, I used the Reductor Curse and blew up Pluto in his face, but…"

Luna gestured hopelessly at Ginny, who was breathing in a very shallow way, her eyes still closed.

"I can bandage and splint it, I may be able to heal it too but I've never done the spell before…" Alicia said looking at Ginny.

"Alicia." Harry said

"This is her body Harry it's not something I can mess up."

"You know spells inside out, have more faith in yourself." Harry assured and Alicia looked at Ginny who nodded.

"Fine." she breathed and she pointed her wand at Ginny's ankle " _Ferula_!" A bandage and splint appeared on Ginny's ankle and leg, she winced slightly at first before settling.

"And what about Ron?" said Harry fearfully, as Ron continued to giggle, still hanging off the front of Harry's robes.

"I don't know what they hit him with," said Luna sadly, "but he's gone a bit funny, I could hardly get him along at all…"

"Harry," said Ron, pulling Harry's ear down to his mouth and still giggling weakly, "you know who this girl is, Harry? She's Loony… Loony Lovegood… ha ha ha…"

"Looks like some sort of giggling jinx…" Alicia mumbled

"We've got to get out of here, Alicia?" said Harry firmly.

"I'm not a healer Harry." Alicia frowned

"Right then. Luna, can you help Ginny?"

"Yes," said Luna, sticking her wand behind her ear for safekeeping, putting an arm around Ginny's waist and pulling her up.

"It's only my ankle, I can do it myself!" said Ginny impatiently, but next moment she had collapsed sideways and grabbed Luna for support. Harry pulled Ron's arm over his shoulder. He looked around: They had a one-in-twelve chance of getting the exit right the first time —

He heaved Ron toward a door; they were within a few feet of it when another door across the hall burst open and three Death Eaters sped into the hall, led by Bellatrix Lestrange.

" _There they are_!" she shrieked.

" _Glacius Tria_!" Alicia shouted as stunning spells shot across the room. She was the only one not heaving someone and had the freest hands. The four Death Eaters suddenly froze in place.

"Thanks!" Harry said

"Yeah well never done that one before so let's go before it breaks!" Alicia said and Harry smashed his way through the door ahead, as Alicia helped Neville in with Hermione. They closed the door quickly behind them and Harry pointed his wand.

" _Colloportus_!" shouted Harry.

He then turned around. They were in the brain room again and there were doors all over the walls.

"The other's will catch up and undo the spell, and if Bellatrix's will is strong enough she could break it herself, we need to seal the other doors." Alicia said quickly and she moved to begin sealing them.

"Luna — Neville — help us!" and they and Harry joined Alicia.

The four of them tore around the room, sealing the doors as they went: Harry crashed into a table and rolled over the top of it in his haste to reach the next door.

" _Colloportus_!"

There were footsteps running along behind the doors; every now and then another heavy body would launch itself against one, so it creaked and shuddered. Luna and Neville were bewitching the doors along the opposite wall — then, as Harry reached the very top of the room, Luna cried out, " _Collo_ — _aaaaaaaaargh_ …"

She was sent flying through the air. Five Death Eaters were surging into the room through the door she had not reached in time; Luna hit a desk, slid over its surface and onto the floor on the other side where she lay sprawled, as still as Hermione.

"Get Potter!" shrieked Bellatrix, and she ran at him. Alicia ducked down over to Luna and Harry sprinted back towards Ginny, Ron and Hermione.

"Hey!" said Ron, who had staggered to his feet and was now tottering drunkenly toward Harry, giggling. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird, Harry?"

"Ron, get out of the way, get down —"

But Ron had already pointed his wand at the tank.

"Honest, Harry, they're brains — look — _Accio Brain_!"

The scene seemed momentarily frozen. Harry, Ginny, and Neville and each of the Death Eaters turned in spite of themselves to watch the top of the tank as a brain burst from the green liquid like a leaping fish. For a moment it seemed suspended in midair, then it soared toward Ron, spinning as it came, and what looked like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unraveling like rolls of film —

"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it —" said Ron, watching it disgorge its gaudy innards. "Harry, come and touch it, bet it's weird —"

"RON, NO!"

Alicia pointed her wand and, missing everyone, tried to shoot down the brain several times, but the brain was moving too fast. What ever would happen when Ron touched the brain was unknown, but being in the Department of Mysteries were people were not allowed to enter, proved nothing good could come of it. Harry seemed to think the same as he darted forwards to try and stop it only Ron caught the brain before he got there.

The moment they made contact with his skin, the tentacles began wrapping themselves around Ron's arms like ropes.

"Harry, look what's happen — no — no, I don't like it — no, stop — _stop_ —"

But the thin ribbons were spinning around Ron's chest now. He tugged and tore at them as the brain was pulled tight against him like an octopus's body.

" _Diffindo_!" yelled Harry, trying to sever the feelers wrapping themselves tightly around Ron before his eyes, but they would not break. Ron fell over, still thrashing against his bonds.

"Harry, it'll suffocate him!" screamed Ginny, immobilised by her broken ankle on the floor — then a jet of red light flew from one of the Death Eater's wands and hit her squarely in the face. She keeled over sideways and lay there unconscious.

" _STUPEFY_!" shouted Neville, wheeling around and waving Hermione's wand at the oncoming Death Eaters. " _STUPEFY, STUPEFY_!"

But nothing happened — one of the Death Eaters shot their own Stunning Spell at Neville; it missed him by inches.

Alicia turned to Luna and pointed her wand. She hadn't been stunned but she was unconscious.

" _Rennervate_!" Luna began to stir and Alicia turned from her, the Death Eater's backs to her as they continued after Harry.

And then she watched shocked as her brother held the Prophecy high in the air, and ran down the room away from the others!

"Idiot!" she whispered.

The Death Eaters however followed Harry, ignoring Neville, the thrashing Ron and unconscious Ginny and Hermione. As the ran Alicia moved over to Neville who was trying to help Ron.

"What do we do?" he demanded of Alicia.

" _Rennervate_!" Alicia pointed her wand at Ginny who also began to stir.

She turned back to Ron and grabbed the hand that had grabbed the Brain. She made sure not to touch any of the tentacles and pointed her wand to the brain.

" _Immobulus_!" The brain stopped and Ron pushed against it.

Alicia got up and sprinted after Harry, she heard the footsteps behind her of Neville but didn't say anything.

She came to the door to find the room with the Archway. Harry was at the bottom and ten other Death Eaters were surrounding him, approaching fast.

"Potter, your race is run," drawled Lucius Malfoy, pulling off his mask. "Now hand me the prophecy like a good boy…"

"Let — let the others go, and I'll give it to you!" said Harry desperately.

A few of the Death Eaters laughed.

"You are not in a position to bargain, Potter," said Lucius Malfoy, his pale face flushed with pleasure. "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you… or hasn't Dumbledore ever taught you how to count?"

" _Incarcerous_!" Malfoy found himself falling down the stairs as he was tied up and bound, the ropes tightening.

"You're the ones who can't count apparently." Alicia said simply

"He's not alone!" Neville shouted. "He's still got us!"

Neville began to scramble down the stone benches toward the others, Hermione's wand held fast in his trembling hand.

"Alicia — Neville — no — go back to Ron —"

" _Reducto_!" She pointed it at a Death Eater and he was blown off his feet. She flipped her wand quickly for a stunning curse to collide with a shield and bounce back at a Death Eater.

She moved her position quickly.

" _STUPEFY_!" Neville shouted again, pointing his wand at each Death Eater in turn, " _STUPEFY_! _STUPE_ —"

One of the largest Death Eaters seized Neville from behind, pinioning his arms to his sides. He struggled and kicked; several of the Death Eaters laughed.

Alicia stopped as she'd been jumping down towards her brother, Harry being at the bottom of the pit.

"It's Longbottom, isn't it?" sneered Lucius Malfoy. "Well, your grandmother is used to losing family members to our cause… Your death will not come as a great shock…"

Alicia felt anger boiling inside her.

"Longbottom?" repeated Bellatrix, and a truly evil smile lit her gaunt face. "Why, I have had the pleasure of meeting your parents, boy…"

"I KNOW YOU HAVE!" roared Neville, and he fought so hard against his captor's encircling grip that the Death Eater shouted, "Someone Stun him!"

"No, no, no," said Bellatrix. She looked transported, alive with excitement as she glanced at Harry, then back at Neville. "No, let's see how long Longbottom lasts before he cracks like his parents… Unless Potter wants to give us the prophecy —"

"DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM!" roared Neville, who seemed beside himself, kicking and writhing as Bellatrix drew nearer to him and his captor, her wand raised. "DON'T GIVE IT TO THEM, HARRY!"

Bellatrix raised her wand. " _Crucio_!"

Neville screamed, his legs drawn up to his chest so that the Death Eater holding him was momentarily holding him off the ground. The Death Eater dropped him and he fell to the floor, twitching and screaming in agony.

"That was just a taster!" said Bellatrix, raising her wand so that Neville's screams stopped and he lay sobbing at her feet. She turned and gazed up at Harry. "Now, Potter, either give us the prophecy, or watch your little friend die the hard way!"

Alicia felt Harry giving up. But she felt too angry to give them what she wanted.

" _Stupefy_!" The Death Eater who'd held Neville collapsed and the Death Eaters turned to her. "Harry. Smash it." Alicia said

"You dare—" Bellatrix began

"Well we don't care what happens to it, so, smash it! And then you can kill us all before going back to Voldemort and getting yourself killed by him in return." Alicia grinned

The Death Eater's looked enraged and several raised their wands to her, only they didn't get the chance. Suddenly, two more doors burst open and five more people sprinted into the room: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley.

Alicia looked shocked, beamed slightly before she turned back, Tonks sent a stunning spell at Malfoy and Alicia body binded another quickly. She saw Harry dive off the dais and quickly made her way down, raising shield spells everywhere as she made her way towards him.

The Death Eaters were completely distracted by the appearance of the members of the Order, who were now raining spells down upon them as they jumped from step to step toward the sunken floor. Through the darting bodies, the flashes of light, Harry could see Neville crawling along. He dodged another jet of red light and flung himself flat on the ground to reach Neville.

"Are you okay?" he yelled, as another spell soared inches over their heads.

"Yes," said Neville, trying to pull himself up.

"And Ron?"

"I think he's all right — he was still fighting the brain when I left —"

"I immobilised it so we'll see." Alicia said as she dived down with them. "I also woke Ginny and Luna but…"

The stone floor between them exploded as a spell hit it, leaving a crater right where Neville's hand had been seconds before. The three scrambled away from the spot, then a thick arm came out of nowhere, seized Harry around the neck and pulled him upright, so that his toes were barely touching the floor.

"Give it to me," growled a voice in his ear, "give me the prophecy —" Alicia could see him going pale and feel her airways cutting off as the Death Eater crushed Harry's windpipe.

Sirius duelling with a Death Eater some ten feet away. Kingsley was fighting two at once; Tonks, still halfway up the tiered seats, was firing spells down at Bellatrix.

"Get — off!" Alicia shouted and she waved her wand. The man cried out in pain and released Harry before Neville launched himself at the Death Eater and jabbed him in the eye with Hermione's wand. Harry sat gasping on the floor as both Alicia and Neville hit the man with a stunning spell.

The Death Eater keeled over backward and his mask slipped off. It was Macnair, Buckbeak's would-be killer, one of his eyes now swollen and bloodshot.

"Thanks!" Harry said to Alicia and Neville, pulling him aside as Sirius and his Death Eater lurched past, duelling so fiercely that their wands were blurs.

"Well pay attention!" Alicia snapped.

As she said that Harry's foot made contact with something round and hard and he slipped. Alicia caught him just as they saw Moody's magic eye spinning away across the floor.

Its owner was lying on his side, bleeding from the head, and his attacker was now bearing down upon Harry and Neville: Dolohov, his long pale face twisted with glee.

" _Tarantallegra_!" he shouted, his wand pointing at Neville, whose legs went immediately into a kind of frenzied tap dance, unbalancing him and causing him to fall to the floor again. "Now, Potter —"

He made the same slashing movement with his wand that he had used on Hermione just as Harry and Alicia yelled, " _Protego_!"

Harry was knocked sideways, and he fell over Neville's jerking legs, but the Shield Charm had stopped the worst of the spell.

Dolohov raised his wand again. " _Accio Proph_ —"

" _Impedimenta_!" Dolohov was thrown across the room and into one of the sets of steps before collapsing.

"Nice one!" shouted Sirius, forcing the twins' heads down as a pair of Stunning Spells flew toward them. "Now I want you to get out of —"

They both ducked again. A jet of green light had narrowly missed Sirius; across the room Harry saw Tonks fall from halfway up the stone steps, her limp form toppling from stone seat to stone seat, and Bellatrix, triumphant, running back toward the fray.

"Can you seriously think we're going to leave you! What are you doing in the Ministry anyway!" Alicia demanded to Sirius.

"Alicia!" he said looking almost disappointed

"Don't you dare look at me like that, this is all on him." she said pointing at Harry. "You know if you'd just told us about it this wouldn't have happened!" she shouted over a blast. Sirius turned to Harry instead of facing Alicia.

"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville, and run!" Sirius yelled, dashing to meet Bellatrix.

"Sirius!" Alicia shouted but Kingsley got in the way and stopped her from seeing what happened.

Alicia ducked, pulling Harry down as well, as another jet of green light flew over Harry's head as he launched himself toward Neville —

"Can you stand?" he bellowed in Neville's ear, as Neville's legs jerked and twitched uncontrollably. "Put your arm round my neck —"

Neville did so — Harry heaved — Neville's legs were still flying in every direction, they would not support him.

"For gods sake Harry!" Alicia complained and she pointed her wand to have Neville's legs stop. "You need to—" she was cut off in scolding him when another man lunged at them. Harry and Neville toppled backwards.

"The prophecy, give me the prophecy, Potter!" snarled Lucius Malfoy's voice, and Alicia saw the tip of Malfoy's wand pressing hard between his ribs.

"No — get — off — me … Neville — catch it!"

Harry flung the prophecy across the floor, Neville spun himself around on his back and scooped the ball to his chest. Malfoy pointed the wand instead at Neville, but Alicia got their first.

" _Stupefy_!" Malfoy slumped and Harry pointed own wand back over his shoulder and yelled, " _Impedimenta_!"

Malfoy was blasted off his back. As Harry scrambled up again he looked around and saw Malfoy smash into the dais on which Sirius and Bellatrix were now duelling.

"Harry, Alicia, round up the others and GO!" Lupin shouted as he moved to check Malfoy was not getting up to attack again.

"Half of them are unconscious!" Alicia warned as they got to their feet.

Harry listened and began to pull Neville to the stone steps. They began to climb them before as spell hit just below them and the step crumbled. Harry grabbed Neville to stop him falling and Neville's robes split all along the seam. The small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket and before either of them could catch it, one of Neville's floundering feet kicked it. It flew some ten feet to their right and smashed on the step beneath them. As both of them stared at the place where it had broken, appalled at what had happened, a pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. The lips moved as Alicia stared in what she swore was Professor Trelawny, but there was too much noise to hear what was being said.

"Harry, I'm sorry!" cried Neville, his face anguished "I'm so sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to —"

"It doesn't matter!" Harry shouted.

"It's not important Neville." Alicia assured.

"Let's just get out—"

" _Dumbledore_!" said Neville, his sweaty face suddenly transported, staring over Harry's shoulder.

"What?"

"DUMBLEDORE!"

Harry and Alicia turned and standing directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious.

Dumbledore sped down the steps past Alicia, Neville and Harry, neither of which made a single move to leave. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realised he was there. There were yells; one of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line —

Only one couple were still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Sirius ducked Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her. "Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.

The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.

The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.

Alicia didn't know how but she found herself at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes were pricking and she stared at the shocked eyes, the laughing grin on his face.

It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch…

There was fear and surprise on her godfather's once handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as though in a high wind and then fell back into place.

She couldn't move. Her feet were rooted in place. Bellatrix Lestrange's gave out a triumphant scream. Harry was shouting as he reached the floor near her.

"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled, "SIRIUS!" He sprinted for the dais and Lupin grabbed him, holding him back.

Tears were pouring down her face as Harry was struggling against Lupin's hold beside her. No one touched her, she didn't make to move.

"There's nothing you can do, Harry —"

"Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!"

"It's too late, Harry —"

"We can still reach him —"

Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go…

"There's nothing you can do, Harry… nothing… He's gone."

Alicia felt like a giant hole had been carved through her chest, taking out her heart and vital organs, leaving her alive with a gapping hole. Her body tried to function and repair but there was nothing possible that could fix it. The pain inflamed. Nothing she'd ever felt before. Darkness seemed to crash on her like boulders, everything seemed to be meaningless. There was nothing. It was taken.

He was gone. Sirius was gone. The only adult… the only real…

And it was all their fault.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66:

"He hasn't gone!" Harry yelled.

Alicia's hand was gripping on her wand. All she could feel was the pain, the anguish, the grief.

The guilt.

He wouldn't have been here if not for them. They should have entered Grimmauld Place. They should have used the mirror! They shouldn't have listened to Kreacher!

Kreacher. He'd clearly lied to them. But why? What did he have to gain?

But Alicia already knew. Kreacher served the Blacks and Sirius had not been the only one.

Alicia ignored Harry's shouts of denial. She wondered if whether the pain she felt was really all hers, whether it was really this painful or if Harry's was contributing. She couldn't separate the two.

All she knew was she was being inflamed with anger.

She could blame Kreacher, but he was an elf, bound to do as he was told. Voldemort set a trap, but it had to be foolproof. Someone had to lie if Harry went looking for Sirius at Grimmauld Place. And who better than an elf, stationed in the house, and unable to disobey orders.

Alicia stared at Bellatrix.

Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilised by invisible ropes. Mad-Eye Moody had crawled across the room to where Tonks lay and was attempting to revive her. Behind the dais there were still flashes of light, grunts, and cries from Kingsley and Bellatrix.

Neville's voice sounded as he started talking to Harry. Alicia was watching Bellatrix. Lupin still had Harry, Dumbledore was busy with the Death Eaters, Tonks was unconscious, Mad-Eye helping her, Kingsley fighting and Sirius…

"Let's — let's find the others. Where are they all, Neville?"

Lupin turned away from the archway as he spoke. It sounded as though every word was causing him pain.

"They're all back there," said Neville. "A brain attacked Ron but I think he's all right — and Hermione's unconscious, but we could feel a pulse —"

Alicia watched as there was a bang and Kingsley yelled out in pain.

Alicia's feet moved as Bellatrix Lestrange turned tail and ran while Dumbledore whipped around. He aimed a spell at her but she deflected it. She was halfway up the steps now.

Alicia was at the base and ran up the steps, jumping to climb them faster. She heard people shouting at her and she heard Harry's name but she ignored it. Yes there was anger in her, and yes she wanted Bellatrix to pay, but it was for more than just what she did to Sirius. She'd been the one to cause all of this! If not for Kracher, who was under her orders… There was no one else but Narcissa and where was Bellatrix going to hide if not her faithful sister's manor? Kreacher had disappeared from the house of Christmas, and they'd set a trap!

Bellatrix ensured they came here, and by doing that, Sirius was…

The hem of Bellatrix's robes whipped out of sight ahead and they were back in the room where the brains were swimming…

She aimed a curse over her shoulder. The tank rose into the air and tipped. Alicia's umbrella spell kept the foul-smelling potion from touching her as she followed the Death Eater. The brains were propelled away from her with a flick of her wand and she sprinted after Bellatrix into the circular black hall as she opened another door to the lifts. Alicia was through it before she could close it and the women shot a curse at the girl who ducked. She had to duck another before she heard the clattering of the lift and Bellatrix had jumped into one ahead of her.

Alicia instantly moved hit the button as Harry ran to join her and the lift jangled and banged lower and lower; the grilles slid open and two dashed inside without a word. Harry hammered the button marked Atrium. The doors slid shut and the lift rose.

Alicia was out of the lift first and she instantly saw the women almost at the telephone lift at the other end of the hall. She must have heard their echoing feet before she threw another spell at them. Harry dodged behind the fountain and Alicia pointed her want for the spell to be diverted and hit the wrought gold gates at the other end of the Atrium so that they rang like bells. There were no more footsteps. She had stopped running.

She stared at Alicia grinned excitedly.

" _Come out, come out, little Harry_!" she called in her mock-baby voice, which echoed off the polished wooden floors. "Or do you want your sister to face me on her own?" Bellatrix stared at the girl who Harry glanced at, but Alicia was too focused to look back. "What did you come after me for, then? I thought you were here to avenge my dear cousin!"

"I am!" shouted Harry, and a score of ghostly Harry's seemed to chorus _I am_! _I am_! _I am_! all around the room.

"You're the whole reason we're even here." Alicia hissed, she didn't need to raise her voice all that much her voice echoed regardless. "You've been ordering Kreacher around."

"Well aren't we cleaver. Didn't stop you though did it?"

"It did me. Just not him." Alicia confessed

"Aaaaaah… did you _love_ him, little baby Potter?"

Alicia hardly even felt the hatred that rose in Harry, in response he flung himself out from behind the fountain and bellowed " _Cruci_ o!"

Bellatrix screamed. The spell had knocked her off her feet, but she did not writhe and shriek with pain as Neville had — she was already on her feet again, breathless, no longer laughing. Harry dodged behind the golden fountain again, Alicia dived out of the way as Bellatrix took her anger out towards the girl and her counterspell hit the head of the handsome wizard, which was blown off and landed twenty feet away, gouging long scratches into the wooden floor.

"Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy?" she yelled. Alicia nodded her head as she heard Bellatrix approaching and they moved around the fountain. She had abandoned her baby voice now. "You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain — to enjoy it — righteous anger won't hurt me for long — I'll show you how it is done, shall I? I'll give you a lesson —"

Harry and Alicia ducked down as she screamed again " _Crucio_!" the centaur's arm, holding its bow, spun off and landed with a crash on the floor a short distance from the golden wizard's head.

"Potter, you cannot win against me!" she cried. He could hear her moving to the right, trying to get a clear shot of him. He backed around the statue away from her, crouching behind the centaur's legs, his head level with the house-elf's. "I was and am the Dark Lord's most loyal servant, I learned the Dark Arts from him, and I know spells of such power that you, pathetic little boy, can never hope to compete —"

"We don't need to win." Alicia responded. "You're in trouble regardless of what happens." Harry watched his sister.

"You think so do you!" Bellatrix laughed

"We're the ones with an insight into Voldemort's mind, don't you think we'd know if he was angry with you." Her footsteps stopped and Alicia grinned.

"Potter, I am going to give you one chance!" shouted Bellatrix, a little panic in her voice now. "Give me the prophecy — roll it out toward me now — and I may spare your life!"

"Well, you're going to have to kill me, because it's gone!" Harry roared — and as he shouted it, pain seared across Alicia's neck. Her scar was on fire again, and she felt a surge of fury that was quite unconnected with her own rage. "And he knows!" said Harry with a mad laugh to match Bellatrix's own. "Your dear old mate Voldemort knows it's gone! He's not going to be happy with you, is he?"

"What? What do you mean?" she cried, and for the first time there was fear in her voice.

"Voldemort can see into Harry's head Bellatrix, he knows you cannot complete your mission. You can never give him the prophecy." Alicia admitted.

"The prophecy smashed when I was trying to get Neville up the steps! What do you think Voldemort'll say about that, then?"

"Looks like you failed." Alicia smirked. "Too busy enjoying that you could cause your cousin pain for betraying your family, too busy relishing in your own happiness to help your master."

Alicia could feel the pain increasing, she didn't remember when it hurt like this, except —

Her blood ran cold and Alicia looked around the Atrium.

"LIAR!" she shrieked, but he could hear the terror behind the anger now. "YOU'VE GOT IT, POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME — _Accio Prophecy_! _ACCIO PROPHECY_!"

Harry laughed and waved his empty hand from behind the one-eared goblin and withdrew it quickly as she sent another jet of green light flying at him.

"Nothing there!" he shouted. "Nothing to summon! It smashed and nobody heard what it said, tell your boss that —"

"No!" she screamed. "It isn't true, you're lying — MASTER, I TRIED, I TRIED — DO NOT PUNISH ME —"

"Don't waste your breath!" yelled Harry, his eyes screwed up against the pain in his scar, now more terrible than ever. "He can't hear you from here!"

But Alicia knew otherwise and her hand gripped to slightly on her wand as the voice reached her ears.

"Can't I, Potter?" said a high, cold voice.

Tall, thin, and black-hooded, his terrible snakelike face white and gaunt, his scarlet, slit-pupiled eyes staring… Lord Voldemort had appeared in the middle of the hall, his wand pointing at Harry who stood frozen, quite unable to move.

"So you smashed my prophecy?" said Voldemort softly, staring at Harry with those pitiless red eyes. "No, Bella, he is not lying… I see the truth looking at me from within his worthless mind… Months of preparation, months of effort… and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again…"

"Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!" sobbed Bellatrix, flinging herself down at Voldemort's feet as he paced slowly nearer. "Master, you should know —"

"Be quiet, Bella," said Voldemort dangerously. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your snivelling apologies?"

"But Master — he is here — he is below —"

Voldemort paid no attention.

"I have nothing more to say to you, Potter," he said quietly. "You have irked me too often, for too long. _AVADA KEDAVRA_!"

Harry didn't even move, or open his mouth, but Alicia grabbed him to pull him out of the way.

It seemed though she didn't need to. The headless golden statue of the wizard in the fountain had sprung alive, leaping from its plinth, and landed on the floor with a crash between Harry and Alicia, and Voldemort. The spell merely glanced off its chest as the statue flung out its arms, protecting Harry.

"What — ?" said Voldemort, staring around. And then he breathed, "Dumbledore!"

Alicia and Harry looked behind them, Dumbledore was standing in front of the golden gates.

Voldemort raised his wand and sent another jet of green light at Dumbledore, who turned and was gone in a whirling of his cloak; next second he had reappeared behind Voldemort and waved his wand toward the remnants of the fountain; the other statues sprang to life too. The statue of the witch ran at Bellatrix, who screamed and sent spells streaming uselessly off its chest, before it dived at her, pinning her to the floor. Meanwhile, the goblin and the house-elf scuttled toward the fireplaces set along the wall, and the one-armed centaur galloped at Voldemort, who vanished and reappeared beside the pool. The headless statue thrust Alicia and Harry backward, away from the fight, as Dumbledore advanced on Voldemort and the golden centaur cantered around them both.

"It was foolish to come here tonight, Tom," said Dumbledore calmly. "The Aurors are on their way —"

"By which time I shall be gone, and you dead!" spat Voldemort. He sent another Killing Curse at Dumbledore but missed, instead hitting the security guards desk, which burst into flame.

Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that emanated from it was such that this time Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it. The spell, whatever it was, caused no visible damage to the shield, though a deep, gonglike note reverberated from it, an oddly chilling sound…

"You do not seek to kill me, Dumbledore?" called Voldemort, his scarlet eyes narrowed over the top of the shield. "Above such brutality, are you?"

"We both know that there are other ways of destroying a man, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, continuing to walk toward Voldemort as though he had not a fear in the world, as though nothing had happened to interrupt his stroll up the hall. "Merely taking your life would not satisfy me, I admit —"

"There is nothing worse than death, Dumbledore!" snarled Voldemort.

"You are quite wrong," said Dumbledore, still closing in upon Voldemort and speaking as lightly as though they were discussing the matter over drinks.

"Death is but another adventure, what's more frightful is those you leave behind to mourn you." Alicia snapped and Harry, who continued to be shunted backwards as he tried to move from behind the statue, looked at her shocked as she stayed behind the golden statue but watched the two wizards. "Loneliness is a much worse a punishment!"

"Indeed, your failure to understand that there are things much worse than death has always been your greatest weakness —"

Another jet of green light flew from behind the silver shield. This time it was the one-armed centaur, galloping in front of Dumbledore, that took the blast and shattered into a hundred pieces, but before the fragments had even hit the floor, Dumbledore had drawn back his wand and waved it as though brandishing a whip. A long thin flame flew from the tip; it wrapped itself around Voldemort, shield and all. For a moment, it seemed Dumbledore had won, but then the fiery rope became a serpent, which relinquished its hold upon Voldemort at once and turned, hissing furiously, to face Dumbledore.

Voldemort vanished. The snake reared from the floor, ready to strike —

There was a burst of flame in midair above Dumbledore just as Voldemort reappeared, standing on the plinth in the middle of the pool where so recently the five statues had stood.

" _Look out_!" Harry yelled.

But even as he shouted, one more jet of green light had flown at Dumbledore from Voldemort's wand and the snake had struck —

Fawkes swooped down in front of Dumbledore, opened his beak wide, and swallowed the jet of green light whole. He burst into flame and fell to the floor, small, wrinkled, and flightless. At the same moment, Dumbledore brandished his wand in one, long, fluid movement — the snake, which had been an instant from sinking its fangs into him, flew high into the air and vanished in a wisp of dark smoke; the water in the pool rose up and covered Voldemort like a cocoon of molten glass —

For a few seconds Voldemort was visible only as a dark, rippling, faceless figure, shimmering and indistinct upon the plinth, clearly struggling to throw off the suffocating mass —

Then he was gone, and the water fell with a crash back into its pool, slopping wildly over the sides, drenching the polished floor.

"MASTER!" screamed Bellatrix.

Harry made to run out from behind the statue guard but Alicia grabbed him as she looked around the atrium.

"Stay where you are, Harry!" Dumbledore bellowed.

For the first time, Dumbledore sounded frightened.

Harry looked all around but Alicia felt something was wrong. And just because they could not see him, did not mean Voldemort was gone. Bellatrix was still trapped under her statue, sobbing, and the tiny baby Fawkes croaking feebly on the floor —

Alicia had to stop herself from screaming as pain burst from her scar. But this she knew was not her pain, it was Harry's. It was pain beyond imagining, pain past endurance —

But she heard Harry speak.

"Kill me now, Dumbledore…"

Alicia could feel like she was tied up and lost within herself, she was crying out for help, she needed release. But she could separate her and Harry, and she wasn't the one tied up.

"If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy…"

Alicia closed her eyes and before she knew it she saw Harry, not physically for she was in his mind. He was locked in the coils of a creature with red eyes, so tightly bound that where Harry's body ended and the creature's began was impossible to determine. They were fused together, bound by pain, and there was no escape —

 _Let the pain stop,_ thought Harry. _Let him kill us… End it, Dumbledore… Death is nothing compared to this…_

 _Harry…_ he looked up and saw her as she reached for him and took his hand. She could see the pain in his face.

 _This isn't your pain. Don't let it cloud you. Harry, remove him. Don't let his pain control you. I need you… I can't loose you too… You can't give up! Sirius wouldn't have wanted you to give up_. Harry looked at her as she tried to ignore his pain to help him, and she felt as he was filled with emotion. She could feel the tenderness, the happiness, the love that came from thinking of her trying to help him, of Sirius always wanting what was best for him.

And the creature's coils loosened, the pain was gone. Alicia gasped as she opened her eyes and found herself lying on the floor. She looked around the atrium and suddenly found it filled with people. She noticed the Ministry officials instantly and more were appearing through the green busts of fire from the fireplaces along the wall.

Alicia ignored them and turned straight for Harry beside her, he was lying facedown on the floor, his glasses gone, shivering as though he lay upon ice, not wood… Alicia grabbed his glasses from the heel of the headless statue that had been guarding them, but which now lay flat on its back, cracked and immobile. Dumbledore was beside them and leaning over Harry, so that when he turned over, his nose was so close to the boys.

"Are you all right, Harry?" he asked as Alicia handed her brother his glasses.

"Yes," said Harry, shaking so violently he could not hold his head up properly. Alicia moved around to help him as Dumbledore raised his head slightly.

"Alicia?" she nodded mutely.

"Yeah, I'm — where's Voldemort, where — who are all these — what's —"

Dumbledore helped the two of them to their feet and Alicia looked around to see the tiny gold statues of the house-elf and the goblin leading a stunned-looking Cornelius Fudge forward.

"He was there!" shouted a scarlet-robed man with a ponytail, who was pointing at a pile of golden rubble on the other side of the hall, where Bellatrix had lain trapped moments before. "I saw him, Mr. Fudge, I swear, it was You-Know-Who, he grabbed a woman and Disapparated!"

"I know, Williamson, I know, I saw him too!" gibbered Fudge, who was wearing pyjamas under his pinstriped cloak and was gasping as though he had just run miles. "Merlin's beard — here — here! — in the Ministry of Magic! — great heavens above — it doesn't seem possible — my word — how can this be?"

"If you proceed downstairs into the Department of Mysteries, Cornelius," said Dumbledore, apparently satisfied that Harry was all right, as Alicia clung to him, wrapping her head around everything, and walking forward so that the newcomers realised he was there for the first time (a few of them raised their wands, others simply looked amazed; the statues of the elf and goblin applauded and Fudge jumped so much that his slipper-clad feet left the floor), "you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them."

"Dumbledore!" gasped Fudge, apparently beside himself with amazement. "You — here — I — I —"

He looked wildly around at the Aurors he had brought with him, and it could not have been clearer that he was in half a mind to cry, "Seize him!"

Alicia looked at him angrily. He'd just seen Voldemort and still he was willing to arrest Dumbledore! He's just seen proof the man was innocent!

"Cornelius, I am ready to fight your men — and win again!" said Dumbledore in a thunderous voice. "But a few minutes ago you saw proof, with your own eyes, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong men for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"

"I — don't — well —" blustered Fudge, looking around as though hoping somebody was going to tell him what to do. When nobody did, he said, "Very well — Dawlish! Williamson! Go down to the Department of Mysteries and see… Dumbledore, you — you will need to tell me exactly — the Fountain of Magical Brethren — what happened?" he added in a kind of whimper, staring around at the floor, where the remains of the statues of the witch, wizard, and centaur now lay scattered.

"We can discuss that after I have sent Harry and Alicia back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore.

"Harry — Harry… _Alicia Potter_?"

Alicia looked at him as Fudge spun around and stared at the two of them, who was still standing against the wall beside the fallen statue that had been guarding them during Dumbledore and Voldemort's duel.

"He-here?" said Fudge. "Why — what's all this about?"

"I shall explain everything," repeated Dumbledore, "when Harry and Alicia are back at school."

He walked away from the pool to the place where the golden wizard's head lay on the floor. He pointed his wand at it and muttered, " _Portus_." The head glowed blue and trembled noisily against the wooden floor for a few seconds, then became still once more.

"Now see here, Dumbledore!" said Fudge, as Dumbledore picked up the head and walked back to Harry carrying it. "You haven't got authorisation for that Portkey! You can't do things like that right in front of the Minister of Magic, you — you —"

His voice faltered as Dumbledore surveyed him magisterially over his half-moon spectacles.

"You will give the order to remove Dolores Umbridge from Hogwarts," said Dumbledore. "You will tell your Aurors to stop searching for my Care of Magical Creatures teacher so that he can return to work. I will give you…" Dumbledore pulled a watch with twelve hands from his pocket and glanced at it, "half an hour of my time tonight, in which I think we shall be more than able to cover the important points of what has happened here. After that, I shall need to return to my school. If you need more help from me you are, of course, more than welcome to contact me at Hogwarts. Letters addressed to the headmaster will find me."

Fudge goggled worse than ever. His mouth was open and his round face grew pinker under his rumpled grey hair.

"I — you —"

Dumbledore turned his back on him.

"Take this Portkey, Alicia, Harry."

Alicia touched the head Dumbledore held out and Harry placed his hand upon it.

"I shall see you in half an hour," said Dumbledore quietly. "One… two… three…"

There was the familiar sensation of a hook being jerked behind their navels. The polished wooden floor was gone from beneath their feet; the Atrium, Fudge, and Dumbledore had all disappeared, and they were flying forward in a whirlwind of colour and sound…


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67:

Alicia managed to keep her feet as they landed while Harry's knees buckled and the wizard head fell with a resounding clunk to the floor. Looking around the two noticed they were in Dumbledore's office.

The room was not as they had left it; broken, dusty, the silver ornaments in pieces, everything had repaired itself. Alicia wondered if Dumbledore had been here in his office all along, seeing as it had barricaded everyone else out.

The portraits were all snoozing, for real this time as their heads lolled back in armchairs or against the edge of their pictures. Through the window there was a cool line of pale green along the horizon. Dawn was approaching.

Alicia couldn't help it, her legs gave way and she crumbled to the floor. She grabbed the clothes at her chest in fistfuls and her eyes welled up with tears as she began to cry. Her sobs were the only thing to break the silence amongst the stillness besides the odd grunt or snuffle of a sleeping portrait.

Harry did nothing to comfort his sister and she was glad. She had been right, she had known from the very beginning it was a trap. She'd known not to trust Kreacher or to touch the Prophecy Sphere. She had known better than to leave Hogwarts and walk willingly into Voldemort's trap but Harry hadn't listened to her! This was all his fault, if he had stopped to think and listen to her for a change instead of running headlong into danger…!

Blaming Harry did not make Alicia feel any better. The pain in her chest, where a hole had been punched was screaming from inside her. It was worse than her scar searing when Harry was possessed, or when the Cruciatus Curse was placed upon her. It was dark, it was empty, it was scary and lonely. Alicia wanted nothing more than for it to leave, for it to be non-existent. She'd have given anything to be anywhere, anyone else right now. Because even if she wanted to blame Harry, she hadn't tried hard enough! She hadn't tried to stop him enough, as she hadn't tried to convince him enough to stay, to check Grimmauld place now that Umbridge's office had been empty, or talk to Snape to find out what was happening.

But then no one had talked to her or told her anything anyway. She told them again and again they needed to know. She told them over and over that the silence was not best and it'd lead to worse.

And it had now gotten as worse as it could. Sirius… he was now… he'd never again. Alicia could still remember the last laugh and how happy he had been at Christmas, singing and so cheerful it infected everyone. She's never see that again! She'd never hear his voice, or have his comfort, she'd never see him smile or celebrate a birthday, Christmas, exam results, nothing with him ever again. He was never to talk to her again, to tell her about her parents or praise them for mischief making.

He was gone. And he was gone forever.

Alicia's sobs had stopped but her tears did not as she was still on the floor in the middle of the office.

And then the silence was broken again, this time by a voice.

"Ah… Harry Potter… And of cause his sister, Alicia…"

Phineas Nigellus gave a long yawn, stretching his arms as he watched Harry with shrewd, narrow eyes.

"And what brings you here in the early hours of the morning?" said Phineas. "This office is supposed to be barred to all but the rightful headmaster. Or has Dumbledore sent you here? Oh, don't tell me…" He gave another shuddering yawn. "Another message for my worthless great-great-grandson?"

Alicia sobbed and shook her head, covering her ears, she didn't want anyone to talk about him. She couldn't bear the darkness that seemed to enflame as she heard his name. It was like it threatened to engulf her entire being. What she'd give at that moment to not be herself. What she'd give to be a lonely orphan back in Surrey, on her way to a normal school and not trapped within this constant pain. People continued to die around her; her mother, father, Cedric, Sirius…

Why did this have to happen to her? Could she not be anyone else's sister!

A few more of the portraits had stirred now. Harry's footsteps sounded as he moved across the room but the door knob he reached for would not turn. The twins were shut in the office.

"Is she alright?" another portrait asked.

"Alright?" Alicia asked with an empty laugh. She looked up angrily. "Do I look alright!?" she shouted at the witch in the portrait who'd spoken. She'd drawn herself to her feet and with a wave of her wand one of Dumbledore's instruments smashed. Harry even jumped at the sudden sound.

"I hope this means," said the corpulent, red-nosed wizard who hung on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk, glancing at Alicia slightly. "that Dumbledore will soon be back with us?"

Harry must have nodded.

"Oh good," said the wizard. "It has been very dull without him, very dull indeed." Alicia wished he'd stop talking. Continuing on as if nothing was wrong, regardless of his cluelessness.

"Dumbledore thinks very highly of you, as I am sure you know," he said comfortably. "Oh yes. Holds you in great esteem. Both of you actually."

"Really? Is that why he feels that distance serves a better purpose?! And ignorance saves a person?" Alicia demanded, tears stills tripping down her face. "This is all his fault! He isolated us from him! None of this would have happened if he wasn't so self-absorbed! He wasn't thinking what was best for us, he was thinking what was best in the long run. He was thinking of protecting himself!"

The portraits looked confused as Alicia flung her wand again and this time the desk went flying into the chair behind it and into the wall, it's contents spilling and smashing.

Alicia sunk herself down in font of it and buried her face in her arms and knees again. The fact that everything could be repaired didn't bring her any satisfaction in breaking things.

Harry said nothing, instead he stayed by the door motionless.

The empty fireplace burst into emerald-green flame, making Harry leap away from the door, staring at the man spinning inside the grate. As Dumbledore's tall form unfolded itself from the fire, the wizards and witches on the surrounding walls jerked awake. Many of them gave cries of welcome.

"Thank you," said Dumbledore softly.

He looked fleetingly around the room, noticing the mess, and his eyes noticed Alicia's wand still in her hand. He turned from her, not saying a word of her destruction of his office, nor did he look at Harry immediately, but walked over to the perch beside the door and withdrew, from an inside pocket of his robes, the tiny, ugly, featherless Fawkes, whom he placed gently on the tray of soft ashes beneath the golden post where the full-grown Fawkes usually stood.

"Well, Harry, Alicia," said Dumbledore, finally turning away from the baby bird, "you will be pleased to hear that none of your fellow students are going to suffer lasting damage from the night's events."

Alicia wanted that to make her feel better as she had her eyes screwed shut. But even if there was some relief, she had too much going on, so much anger, guilt, and pain. So much pain. She didn't even know what to do with herself, it felt like she was drowning within herself. She didn't know what to do. Where did she go from here? Was there even anything worth doing? All she'd do would be getting someone else killed again. And all just because of a stupid glass sphere, that was so fragile it seemed stupid.

"Madam Pomfrey is patching everybody up now," said Dumbledore. "Nymphadora Tonks may need to spend a little time in St. Mungo's, but it seems that she will make a full recovery."

There was still nothing. Neither twin spoke, Alicia didn't want to hear Dumbledore's voice, whether it was bringing good news or not. There was nothing he could say.

It seemed he was willing to try.

"I know how you are feeling, Harry," said Dumbledore very quietly. "Alicia,"

Alicia almost felt like she was going to explode as she rose her head and glared at the man who looked between them.

"No, you don't," said Harry, and his voice was suddenly loud and strong. White-hot anger leapt inside him.

"Don't you dare." Alicia said loudly "Don't you even think about trying to comfort us. This is all your fault!" she accused, leaning forwards and loosing the fragile posture.

"You see, Dumbledore?" said Phineas Nigellus slyly. "Never try to understand the students. They hate it. They would much rather be tragically misunderstood, wallow in self-pity, stew in their own —"

"That's enough, Phineas," said Dumbledore.

"You have no right to comment on what you have yet to understand! You don't even know what's happened!" Alicia snapped at him and the portrait eyed her. She turned back to Dumbledore who was watching her. Harry had turned his back on the man.

"You're right Alicia." Dumbledore said

"I told you! I told you right at the beginning!" Alicia said as she cried and her voice broke again. "But you refused to listen! You believed you knew what was best, you didn't even try to—" she broke off as she cried again and her fists balled up, not knowing what else to do.

Dumbledore watched her before he turned to Harry as the girl was silent and walked to move to the overturned desk and recompose herself. But she felt like there was nothing to recompose. Everything inside of her was all the same, it was all directed towards her sadness, pain and anger. The fact that she, a fifteen year old, had proven to be right over the great Dumbledore, who'd refused to even consider… and after two years ago he'd taken their word over everyone else, at the age of thirteen, and yet this time refused to even acknowledge what she'd said!

"There is no shame in what you are feeling, Harry," said Dumbledore's voice. "On the contrary… the fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength."

"My greatest strength, is it?" said Harry, his voice shaking as he stared out at the Quidditch stadium, no longer seeing it. "You haven't got a clue… You don't know…"

"What don't I know?" asked Dumbledore calmly.  
It was too much. Harry turned around, shaking with rage.

"I don't want to talk about how I feel, all right?"

"Harry, suffering like this proves you are still a man! This pain is part of being human —"

Alicia felt anger at the old man's words. He was so bright and so brilliant and tried to be so caring and these were the words of comfort he offered? Clearly he knew nothing of sympathising. Don't tell them it was natural how on earth did that help?! She flung her wand again and another instrument went flying to smash into the wall.

"THEN — I — DON'T — WANT — TO — BE — HUMAN!" Harry roared, and he seized one of the delicate silver instruments from the spindle-legged table beside him and flung it across the room, manually unlike his sister who'd used magic. It shattered into a hundred tiny pieces against the wall. Several of the pictures let out yells of anger and fright, and the portrait of Armando Dippet said, " _Really_!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Harry yelled at them, snatching up a lunascope and throwing it into the fireplace. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH, I WANT OUT, I WANT IT TO END, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE —"

He seized the table on which the silver instrument had stood and threw that too. It broke apart on the floor and the legs rolled in different directions.

"You do care," said Dumbledore. He had not flinched or made a single move to stop Harry demolishing his office. His expression was calm, almost detached. "You care so much you feel as though you will bleed to death with the pain of it."

And that was the problem, Alicia knew. They cared so much that this pain was so unbearable. They cared so much that someone they loved, they could never see again, never hear from. And she couldn't help as she cried some more and Harry continued to scream.

"I — DON'T!" Harry screamed, so loudly that he felt his throat might tear.

"Oh yes, you do," said Dumbledore, still more calmly. "You have now lost your mother, your father, and the closest thing to a parent you have ever known. Of course you care."

"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL!" Harry roared. "YOU — STANDING THERE — YOU —"

Harry made a run of the door, seizing the doorknob again, and wrenching at it.

But the door would not open.

Harry turned back to Dumbledore.

"Let me out," he said. He was shaking from head to foot.

"No," said Dumbledore simply.

For a few seconds they stared at each other.

"Let me out," Harry said again.

"No," Dumbledore repeated.

"If you don't — if you keep me in here — if you don't let me —"

"By all means continue destroying my possessions," said Dumbledore serenely. "I daresay I have too many."

Alicia spun and Dumbledore actually ducked as she sent one of his possessions flying at the man. Many of the portraits shouted at her outraged. Harry had naturally ducked as well.

"Seeing as you know how much we've lost, you know how much we needed what we had to cherish, you knew… you, of all people knew better, and yet you isolated us! You caused all of this. So many times in the year I wanted to come to you! To talk to you, I needed your help and you didn't even present to me that you were available! You were too busy PROTECTING YOURSELF!" Alicia shouted as another instrument flew at the man. "AND YET YOU DARE TO STAND THERE AND GIVE US TAUNTING WORDS THAT DOESN'T EVEN HELP THE GRIEF! YOU LOCK US IN HERE, AND MAKE US LOOK AT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE!" she shrieked "HOW DARE YOU, THE CAUSE OF ALL THIS MESS, HAVE THE GAUL TO TRY AND COMFORT ME! YOU KILLED SIRIUS!"

Harry stared at his sister as Dumbledore waved his wand to send another of the instruments Alicia flung away from him and to the floor where it smashed.

"Why would we want to stay here with you! After all you've done!" Alicia demanded, angry and upset.

"I will not let you leave Alicia, Not until I have had my say," said Dumbledore.  
"Do you — do you think I want to — do you think I give a — I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY!" Harry roared. "I don't want to hear _anything_ you've got to say!"

"You will," said Dumbledore sadly. "Because you are not nearly as angry with me as you ought to be. If you are to attack me, like Alicia as I know you are close to doing, I would like to have thoroughly earned it."

"What are you talking — ?"

"Alicia is right. It is my fault that Sirius died," said Dumbledore clearly.

Alicia didn't feel any better at all that he admitted it and she wanted to throw something else, but this time she sent it flying at the window, which broke and the glass shattered outside, falling to the ground below. Dumbledore watched her and when the noise settled, he continued.

"Or I should say almost entirely my fault — I will not be so arrogant as to claim responsibility for the whole. Sirius was a brave, clever, and energetic man, and such men are not usually content to sit at home in hiding while they believe others to be in danger. Nevertheless, you should never have believed for an instant that there was any necessity for you to go to the Department of Mysteries tonight. If I had been open with you both, just as Alicia told me back in the summer, Harry, as I should have been, you would have known a long time ago that Voldemort might try and lure you to the Department of Mysteries, and you would never have been tricked into going there tonight. And Sirius would not have had to come after you. That blame lies with me, and with me alone."

Dumbledore turned and with a wave of his wand the desk Alicia had tipped over was back on it's feet, along with it's contents and the chairs on either side of it. The professor moved to sit behind his desk as Alicia leaned on the broken window, the cool breeze blowing through her hair.

"Please sit down," said Dumbledore. It was not an order, it was a request.

Harry hesitated, then walked slowly across the room now littered with silver cogs and fragments of wood and took the seat facing Dumbledore's desk.

Alicia didn't move, and Dumbledore didn't ask her to.

"Am I to understand," said Phineas Nigellus slowly from Harry's left, "that my great-great-grandson — the last of the Blacks — is dead?"

"Yes, Phineas," said Dumbledore.

"I don't believe it," said Phineas brusquely.

Phineas marched out of his portrait and both twins knew that he had gone to visit his other painting in Grimmauld Place. He would walk, perhaps, from portrait to portrait, calling for Sirius through the house…

"Harry, I owe you an explanation," said Dumbledore. "You and Alicia, though she may have worked most of it out on her own. An explanation of an old man's mistakes. For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young… and I seem to have forgotten lately…"

Alicia could feel the rays of the sun as it was rising properly now, she rose her eyes to it, squinting as she had been in the dark for so long. She just closed her eyes as she felt it and didn't look at what was far beyond.

"I guessed, fifteen years ago," said Dumbledore, "when I saw the scar upon your forehead, and on Alicia's neck, what it might mean. I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between you and Voldemort. As it turns out Alicia has a connection with you, instead of with Voldemort."

"You've told me this before, Professor," said Harry bluntly.

"Yes," said Dumbledore apologetically. "Yes, but you see — it is necessary to start with your scar. For it became apparent, shortly after you rejoined the magical world, that I was correct, and that your scar was giving you warnings when Voldemort was close to you, or else feeling powerful emotion, and Alicia felt this through you."

"I know," said Harry wearily. Alicia said nothing but just listened.

"And this ability of yours — to detect Voldemort's presence, even when he is disguised, and to know what he is feeling when his emotions are roused — has become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers. This is the same as Alicia, being able to deeper the connection between you and her. I am very aware of her being able to read your thoughts, and communicate with you through your link. And it seemed to be becoming apparent that you showed a little ability of being able to do this to Alicia in return, though you did not seem to know it.

"More recently," said Dumbledore, "I became concerned that Voldemort might realise that this connection between you exists. Sure enough, there came a time when you entered so far into his mind and thoughts that he sensed your presence. I am speaking, of course, of the night when you witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley."

"Yeah, Snape told me," Harry muttered.

" _Professor_ Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected him quietly. "But did you not wonder why it was not I who explained this to you? Why I did not teach you Occlumency? Why I had not so much as looked at you for months?"

"Yeah," Harry mumbled. "Yeah, I wondered."

"You believed Voldemort would look through Harry and spy on you, Sirius, the students and the Order." Alicia spoke up, anger still in her face despite her turned towards the window. "You thought it was best for Harry because if you weren't near him, what could Voldemort use him for? You cut him off from everything so Harry wouldn't provide any information." Alicia straightened up and turned to Dumbledore angrily. "Sounds more like you were protecting your own secrets and plans and yourself, more than caring about Harry, because how can the great Albus Dumbledore being away from anyone ever be the answer!" her voice was raising as they both looked at her.

"An old man's mistake…" Dumbledore nodded "I was not eager to give him more incentives to do so. I was sure that if he realised that our relationship was — or had ever been — closer than that of headmaster and pupil, he would seize his chance to use you as a means to spy on me. I feared the uses to which he would put you, the possibility that he might try and possess you. Harry, I believe I was right to think that Voldemort would have made use of you in such a way. On those rare occasions when we had close contact, I thought I saw a shadow of him stir behind your eyes… I was trying, in distancing myself from you, to protect you. An old man's mistake…" he repeated

"Voldemort's aim in possessing you, as he demonstrated tonight, would not have been my destruction. It would have been yours. He hoped, when he possessed you briefly a short while ago, that I would sacrifice you in the hope of killing him."

He sighed deeply.

Alicia ground her teeth. She turned away from him again.

"Sirius told me that you felt Voldemort awake inside you the very night that you had the vision of Arthur Weasley's attack. I knew at once that my worst fears were correct: Voldemort from that point had realised he could use you. He also told me Alicia's view on talking to me. But again, I stuck to my decision. In an attempt to arm you against Voldemort's assaults on your mind, however, I arranged Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape."

"Yeah a skill that requires no emotion, let's put him with the person who he hates the most." Alicia hissed, sarcastically.

"Professor Snape discovered," Dumbledore resumed, "that you both had been dreaming about the door to the Department of Mysteries for months. Voldemort, of course, had been obsessed with the possibility of hearing the prophecy ever since he regained his body, and as he dwelled on the door, so did you, though you, Harry, did not know what it meant. Alicia on the other hand, quickly understood the meaning behind the door, and why Voldemort was so keen to enter the Department of Mysteries.

"And then you saw Rookwood, who worked in the Department of Mysteries before his arrest, telling Voldemort what we had known all along — that the prophecies held in the Ministry of Magic are heavily protected. Only the people to whom they refer can lift them from the shelves without suffering madness. In this case, either Voldemort himself would have to enter the Ministry of Magic and risk revealing himself at last — or else you would have to take it for him. It became a matter of even greater urgency that you should master Occlumency."

"But I didn't," muttered Harry. He said it aloud to try and ease the dead weight of guilt inside him; a confession must surely relieve some of the terrible pressure squeezing his heart. "I didn't practice, I didn't bother, I could've stopped myself having those dreams, Hermione kept telling me to do it, if I had he'd never have been able to show me where to go, and — Sirius wouldn't — Sirius wouldn't —" he paused "And even Alicia told me that when we reached the Department of Mysteries, when we found the prophecy, not to touch it, not to do what he wanted. But I didn't listen. I tried to check he'd really taken Sirius, I went to Umbridge's office, I spoke to Kreacher in the fire, and he said Sirius wasn't there, he said he'd gone!"

"Kreacher lied," said Dumbledore calmly. "You are not his master, he could lie to you without even needing to punish himself. Kreacher intended you to go to the Ministry of Magic."

"He — he sent me on purpose?"

"Oh yes. Kreacher, I am afraid, has been serving more than one master for months."

"How?" said Harry blankly. "He hasn't been out of Grimmauld Place for years."

"He left when we were there for Christmas. He was listening to Narcissa Malfoy, who is part of the Black family. And when Bellatrix escaped Azhaban, well she's a Black too." Alicia sneered

"I'm surprised by you Alicia," she scoffed

"Doesn't take a genius. Kreacher was so much happier when he came back. And I stopped trusting him, and when we couldn't find him, I did remember how Narcissa was a Black, I even told Sirius about it, that he wasn't the only Black left. He dismissed the idea. And of course there was no proof." Alicia admitted.

"You are, of course, correct." Dumbledore nodded "Kreacher seized his opportunity shortly before Christmas," said Dumbledore, "when Sirius, apparently, shouted at him to 'get out.' He took Sirius at his word and interpreted this as an order to leave the house. He went to the only Black family member for whom he had any respect left… Black's cousin Narcissa, sister of Bellatrix and wife of Lucius Malfoy."

"How do you know all this?" Harry said.

"Kreacher told me last night," said Dumbledore. "You see, when you gave Professor Snape that cryptic warning, he realised that you had had a vision of Sirius trapped in the bowels of the Department of Mysteries. He, like you, attempted to contact Sirius at once. I should explain that members of the Order of the Phoenix have more reliable methods of communicating than the fire in Dolores Umbridge's office. Professor Snape found that Sirius was alive and safe in Grimmauld Place.

"When, however, you did not return from your trip into the forest with Dolores Umbridge, Professor Snape grew worried that you still believed Sirius to be a captive of Lord Voldemort's. He alerted certain Order members at once."

"Alicia told me we should go an talk to him…" Harry mumbled glancing at her sister who balled her fist angrily.

Dumbledore heaved a great sigh and then said, "Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Remus Lupin were at headquarters when he made contact. All agreed to go to your aid at once. Professor Snape requested that Sirius remain behind, as he needed somebody to remain at headquarters to tell me what had happened, for I was due there at any moment. In the meantime he, Professor Snape, intended to search the forest for you.

"But Sirius did not wish to remain behind while the others went to search for you. He delegated to Kreacher the task of telling me what had happened. And so it was that when I arrived in Grimmauld Place shortly after they had all left for the Ministry, it was the elf who told me — laughing fit to burst — where Sirius had gone."

"He was laughing?" said Harry in a hollow voice.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore. "You see, Kreacher was not able to betray us totally. He is not Secret-Keeper for the Order, he could not give the Malfoys our whereabouts or tell them any of the Order's confidential plans that he had been forbidden to reveal. He was bound by the enchantments of his kind, which is to say that he could not disobey a direct order from his master, Sirius. But he gave Narcissa information of the sort that is very valuable to Voldemort, yet must have seemed much too trivial for Sirius to think of banning him from repeating it."

"Like what?" said Harry.

"Like the fact that the person Sirius cared most about in the world was you two," said Dumbledore quietly. "Like the fact that you both were coming to regard Sirius as a mixture of father and brother. Voldemort knew already, of course, that Sirius was in the Order, that you knew where he was — but Kreacher's information made him realise that the one person whom you would go to any lengths to rescue, besides Alicia, was Sirius Black."

"So… when I asked Kreacher if Sirius was there last night…"

"The Malfoys — undoubtedly on Voldemort's instructions — had told him he must find a way of keeping Sirius out of the way once you had seen the vision of Sirius being tortured. Then, if you decided to check whether Sirius was at home or not, Kreacher would be able to pretend he was not. Kreacher injured Buckbeak the hippogriff yesterday, and at the moment when you made your appearance in the fire, Sirius was upstairs trying to tend to him."

Alicia couldn't help it, she smashed something else and huffed before she paced, standing still was not helping.

"And Kreacher told you all this… and laughed?" he croaked.

"He did not wish to tell me," said Dumbledore. "But I am a sufficiently accomplished Legilimens myself to know when I am being lied to and I — persuaded him — to tell me the full story, before I left for the Department of Mysteries."

"And," whispered Harry, his hands curled in cold fists on his knees, "and Hermione kept telling us to be nice to him —"

"She was quite right, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I warned Sirius when we adopted twelve Grimmauld Place as our headquarters that Kreacher must be treated with kindness and respect. I also told him that Kreacher could be dangerous to us. I do not think that Sirius took me very seriously, or that he ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a humans —"

"Don't you blame — don't you — talk — about Sirius like —" Harry's breath was constricted, he could not get the words out properly. But the rage that had subsided so briefly had flared in him again; he would not let Dumbledore criticise Sirius. "Kreacher's a lying — foul — he deserved —"

"Kreacher is what he has been made by wizards, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Yes, he is to be pitied. His existence has been as miserable as your friend Dobby's. He was forced to do Sirius's bidding, because Sirius was the last of the family to which he was enslaved, but he felt no true loyalty to him. And whatever Kreacher's faults, it must be admitted that Sirius did nothing to make Kreacher's lot easier —"

"DON'T TALK ABOUT SIRIUS LIKE THAT!" Harry yelled.

Alicia ignored her brother, unlike Harry, Dumbledore's words and criticism of Sirius didn't anger her, she had already known this, they all did. It was merely a fact. But at the same time, Sirius could not be blamed, he hated the house just as much as Kreacher hated him. Dumbledore locked him up the place he hated the most.

And once again that was on Dumbledore.

"What about Snape?" Harry spat. "You're not talking about him, are you? When I told him Voldemort had Sirius he just sneered at me as usual —"

"Harry, you know that Professor Snape had no choice but to pretend not to take you seriously in front of Dolores Umbridge," said Dumbledore steadily. Harry glanced at Alicia and she was glaring at him. She'd told him that too, but had he listened?

Harry dropped his gaze from her as he felt and heard her. Dumbledore glanced at them both.

He continued regardless. "but as I have explained, he informed the Order as soon as possible about what you had said. It was he who deduced where you had gone when you did not return from the forest. It was he too who gave Professor Umbridge fake Veritaserum when she was attempting to force you to tell of Sirius's whereabouts…"

"Shouldn't have bothered, we didn't even drink a drop. Glad he has so little faith in us." Alicia scoffed

"Snape — Snape g-goaded Sirius about staying in the house — he made out Sirius was a coward —"

"Sirius was much too old and clever to have allowed such feeble taunts to hurt him," said Dumbledore.

Alicia scoffed. "Maybe he knew better to act on them but I doubt that very much."

"Snape stopped giving me Occlumency lessons!" Harry snarled. "He threw me out of his office!"

"You invaded his privacy!" Alicia shouted back at him and Harry looked at her angrily this time.

"I am aware of it," said Dumbledore heavily. "I have already said that it was a mistake for me not to teach you myself, though I was sure, at the time, that nothing could have been more dangerous than to open your mind even further to Voldemort while in my presence —"

"Snape made it worse, my scar always hurt worse after lessons with him —" Harry remembered Ron's thoughts on the subject and plunged on. "How do you know he wasn't trying to soften me up for Voldemort, make it easier for him to get inside my —"

"I trust Severus Snape," said Dumbledore simply. "But I forgot — another old man's mistake — that some wounds run too deep for the healing. I thought Professor Snape could overcome his feelings about your father — I was wrong."

"Anyone could have told you that." Alicia snapped

"But that's okay, is it?" yelled Harry, ignoring the scandalised faces and disapproving mutterings of the portraits covering the walls. "It's okay for Snape to hate my dad, but it's not okay for Sirius to hate Kreacher?"

"Sirius did not hate Kreacher," said Dumbledore. "He regarded him as a servant unworthy of much interest or notice. Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike… The fountain we destroyed tonight told a lie. We wizards have mistreated and abused our fellows for too long, and we are now reaping our reward."

"SO SIRIUS DESERVED WHAT HE GOT, DID HE?" Harry yelled.

Alicia slapped him.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68:

Harry was actually surprised, as did it seem, were all of the onlookers. He looked at Alicia as she glared at him, her hand still raised.

"No one said that." she whispered "I cannot believe you even let those words slip from your mouth." Harry reached up to touch his cheek as he stared at her standing before him.

"I did not say that, nor will you ever hear me say it," Dumbledore replied quietly, watching them both as Harry stared at his sister. "Sirius was not a cruel man, he was kind to house-elves in general. He had no love for Kreacher, because Kreacher was a living reminder of the home Sirius had hated."

"A house you locked him in." Alicia said turning to Dumbledore "He did need to be hidden, but he did not need to be locked in the place that tortured him! That's why he was so reckless and always tried to leave!" she accused

"I was trying to keep Sirius alive," said Dumbledore quietly.

"People don't like being locked up!" Harry said furiously, rounding on him. "You did it to me all last summer —"

Dumbledore closed his eyes and buried his face in his long-fingered hands. Alicia crossed her arms and waited. She could feel the anger bubbling if he refused to explain to Harry why he had done that.

"It is time," he said, "for me to tell you what I should have told you five years ago, Harry. Please sit down. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience. You will have your chance to rage at me — to do whatever you like — when I have finished. I will not stop you."

Harry glared at him for a moment, then flung himself back into the chair opposite Dumbledore and waited. Dumbledore stared for a moment at the sunlit grounds outside the window, then looked back at Harry and said, "Five years ago you arrived at Hogwarts, Harry, safe and whole, as I had planned and intended. Well — not quite whole. You had suffered. I knew you would when I left you on your aunt and uncle's doorstep. I knew I was condemning you to ten dark and difficult years."

He paused. Harry said nothing. Alicia felt angry but she watched him silently still.

"You might ask — and with good reason — why it had to be so. Why could some Wizarding family not have taken you in? Many would have done so more than gladly, would have been honoured and delighted to raise you as a son.

"My answer is that my priority was to keep you alive. You were in more danger than perhaps anyone but myself realised. Voldemort had been vanquished hours before, but his supporters — and many of them are almost as terrible as he — were still at large, angry, desperate, and violent. And I had to make my decision too with regard to the years ahead. Did I believe that Voldemort was gone forever? No. I knew not whether it would be ten, twenty, or fifty years before he re- turned, but I was sure he would do so, and I was sure too, knowing him as I have done, that he would not rest until he killed you.

"I knew that Voldemort's knowledge of magic is perhaps more extensive than any wizard alive. I knew that even my most complex and powerful protective spells and charms were unlikely to be invincible if he ever returned to full power.

"But I knew too where Voldemort was weak. And so I made my decision. You would be protected by an ancient magic of which he knows, which he despises, and which he has always, therefore, underestimated — to his cost. I am speaking, of course, of the fact that your mother died to save you. She gave you a lingering protection he never expected, a protection that flows in your veins to this day. I put my trust, therefore, in your mother's blood. I delivered you to her sister, her only remaining relative."

"She doesn't love me," said Harry at once. "She doesn't give a damn —"

"But she took you," Dumbledore cut across him. "She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you, and in doing so, she sealed the charm I placed upon you. Your mother's sacrifice made the bond of blood the strongest shield I could give you."

"I still don't —"

"While you can still call home the place where your mother's blood dwells, there you cannot be touched or harmed by Voldemort. He shed her blood, but it lives on in you and her sister. Her blood became your refuge. You need return there only once a year, but as long as you can still call it home, there he cannot hurt you. Your aunt knows this. I explained what I had done in the letter I left, with you, on her doorstep. She knows that allowing you houseroom may well have kept you alive for the past fifteen years."

"What about Alicia?" Harry asked

"The charm extends out to me from you and Petunia, my protection stands as Petunia refuses to kick me out of the house. It doesn't need to be as strong because I'm not as important to Voldemort." Alicia explained and Harry looked at her and then to Dumbledore

"You knew this?" he asked angrily

"Dumbledore told me in the summer when he whisked me away without letting me tell you anything." Alicia admitted turning to him

"And you didn't think to tell me?"

"To be honest, it escaped my mind." she confessed before turning back to the window.

"Wait," said Harry. "Wait a moment."

He sat up straighter in his chair, staring at Dumbledore.

"You sent that Howler. You told her to remember — it was your voice —"

"I thought," said Dumbledore, inclining his head slightly, "that she might need reminding of the pact she had sealed by taking you. I suspected the dementor attack might have awoken her to the dangers of having you as a surrogate son."

"It did," said Harry quietly. "Well — my uncle more than her. He wanted to chuck me out, but after the Howler came she — she said I had to stay." He stared at the floor for a moment, then said, "But what's this got to do with…" he cut off, not able to say it.

"Five years ago, then," continued Dumbledore, as though he had not paused in his story, "you arrived at Hogwarts, as did Alicia, you both had met already and were neither as happy nor as well nourished as I would have liked, perhaps, yet alive and healthy. You were not a pampered little prince, but as normal a boy as I could have hoped under the circumstances. Thus far, my plan was working well.

"And then… well, you will remember the events of your first year at Hogwarts quite as clearly as I do. You rose magnificently to the challenge that faced you, and sooner — much sooner — than I had anticipated, you found yourself face-to-face with Voldemort. You survived again. You did more. You delayed his return to full power and strength. You fought a man's fight. I was… prouder of you than I can say.

"Yet there was a flaw in this wonderful plan of mine," said Dumbledore. "An obvious flaw that I knew, even then, might be the undoing of it all. And yet, knowing how important it was that my plan should succeed, I told myself that I would not permit this flaw to ruin it. I alone could prevent this, so I alone must be strong. And here was my first test, as you lay in the hospital wing, weak from your struggle with Voldemort."

"You didn't want to tell us." Alicia said "You didn't want to explain why Voldemort even tried to kill Harry, that's what was in that prophecy." Dumbledore nodded.

"Don't you remember asking me, as you lay in the hospital wing, why Voldemort had tried to kill you when you were a baby?"

Harry nodded.

"Ought I to have told you then?"

"I don't see how that is a flaw." Alicia admitted

"You do not see the flaw in the plan yet? No… perhaps not. Well, as you know, I decided not to answer you. Eleven, I told myself, was much too young to know. I had never intended to tell you when you were eleven. The knowledge would be too much at such a young age.

"I should have recognised the danger signs then. I should have asked myself why I did not feel more disturbed that you both had already asked me the question to which I knew, one day, I must give a terrible answer. I should have recognised that I was too happy to think that I did not have to do it on that particular day… You were too young, much too young.

"And so we entered your second year at Hogwarts. And once again you both met challenges even grown wizards and witches have never faced. Once again you acquitted yourself beyond my wildest dreams. You did not ask me again, however, why Voldemort had left that mark upon you. We discussed your scar, oh yes… We came very, very close to the subject. Why did I not tell you everything?

"Well, it seemed to me that twelve was, after all, hardly better than eleven to receive such information. I allowed you to leave my presence, bloodstained, exhausted but exhilarated, and if I felt a twinge of unease that I ought, perhaps, have told you then, it was swiftly silenced. You were still so young, you see, and I could not find it in me to spoil that night of triumph…" Alicia took a deep breath and he looked at her.

"Do you see, Harry? Do you see the flaw in my brilliant plan now? I had fallen into the trap I had foreseen, that I had told myself I could avoid, that I must avoid. Alicia?"

"You wanted to protect us and our happiness. You didn't want to put such information on our shoulders." she realised "You grew to care about us too much." he nodded and Harry looked between them.

"I cared more for your happiness than your knowing the truth, more for your peace of mind than my plan, more for your life than the lives that might be lost if the plan failed. In other words, I acted exactly as Voldemort expects we fools who love to act.

"Is there a defence? I defy anyone who has watched you as I have — and I have watched you both more closely than you can have imagined — not to want to save you more pain than you had already suffered. What did I care if numbers of nameless and faceless people and creatures were slaughtered in the vague future, if in the here and now you were alive, and well, and happy? I never dreamed that I would have such a person on my hands.

"We entered your third year. I watched from afar as you struggled to repel dementors, as you found Sirius, learned what he was and rescued him. Was I to tell you then, at the moment when you had triumphantly snatched your godfather from the jaws of the Ministry? But now, at the age of thirteen, my excuses were running out. Young you might be, but you had proved you were exceptional. My conscience was uneasy, Harry. I knew the time must come soon…

"But you both came out of the maze last year, Alicia most un-expectantly, having watched Cedric Diggory die, having escaped death so narrowly yourselves… and I did not tell you, though I knew, now Voldemort had returned, I must do it soon. And now, tonight, I know you have long been ready for the knowledge I have kept from you for so long, because you have proved that I should have placed the burden upon you before this. My only defence is this: I have watched you both struggling under more burdens than any student who has ever passed through this school, and I could not bring myself to add another — the greatest one of all."

Harry waited, but Dumbledore did not speak.

"I still don't understand."

"Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of a prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew the prophecy had been made, though he did not know its full contents. He set out to kill you when you were still a baby, believing he was fulfilling the terms of the prophecy. He discovered, to his cost, that he was mistaken, when the curse intended to kill you backfired. And so, since his return to his body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you."

"What was in that prophecy?" Alicia asked and Dumbledore turned to her "What was it that caused Voldemort to come to our house?"

The sun had risen fully now. Dumbledore's office was bathed in it. The glass case in which the sword of Godric Gryffindor resided gleamed white and opaque, the fragments of the instruments Harry had thrown to the floor and Alicia had smashed, glistened like raindrops, and behind him, the baby Fawkes made soft chirruping noises in his nest of ashes.

"The prophecy's smashed," Harry said blankly. "I was pulling Neville up those benches in the — the room where the archway was, and I ripped his robes and it fell…"

"The thing that smashed was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly."

"Who heard it?" asked Harry, even Alicia knew he thought he knew the answer already.

"I did," said Dumbledore. "On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog's Head Inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great-great-granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer, and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post. I turned to leave."

"So it was Professor Trelawney." Alicia sighed and Dumbledore nodded to her, smiling.

Dumbledore got to his feet and walked past Harry and Alicia to the black cabinet that stood beside Fawkes's perch. He bent down, slid back a catch, and took from inside it the shallow stone basin, carved with runes around the edges, in which Harry had seen his father tormenting Snape. Dumbledore walked back to the desk, placed the Pensieve upon it, and raised his wand to his own temple. From it, he withdrew silvery, gossamer-fine strands of thought clinging to the wand, and deposited them in the basin. He sat back down behind his desk and watched his thoughts swirl and drift inside the Pensieve for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he raised his wand and prodded the silvery substance with its tip.

A figure rose out of it, draped in shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous size behind her glasses, and she revolved slowly, her feet in the basin. But when Sibyll Trelawney spoke, it was not in her usual ethereal, mystic voice, but in harsh, hoarse tones.

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES… BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES… AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT… AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES… THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…"

Alicia stared at the pensieve. The slowly revolving Professor Trelawney sank back into the silver mass below and vanished.

The silence within the office was absolute. Neither Dumbledore nor Harry nor any of the portraits made a sound. Even Fawkes had fallen silent.

Alicia started to shake her head. "No…" she mumbled "No… no!" Dumbledore glanced up at her.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said very quietly, glancing at his sister. "It… did that mean… What did that mean?"

"It meant," said Dumbledore, "that the person who has the only chance of conquering Lord Voldemort for good was born at the end of July, nearly sixteen years ago. This boy would be born to parents who had already defied Voldemort three times."

Neither can live while the other survives… the words seemed to be shouting in Alicia's head and the pain that was throbbing in her chest from Sirius' loss seemed to pound faster and more painfully.

"It means — me?"

Dumbledore surveyed him for a moment through his glasses.

"The odd thing is, Harry," he said softly, "that it may not have meant you at all. Sibyll's prophecy could have applied to two wizard boys, both born at the end of July that year, both of whom had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, both sets of parents having narrowly escaped Voldemort three times. One, of course, was you. The other was Neville Longbottom."

"But then… but then, why was it my name on the prophecy and not Neville's?"

"And the dark lord will mark him as his equal," Alicia whispered. She was staring at the wall. Dumbledore nodded to her.

"The official record was relabelled after Voldemort's attack on you as a child," said Dumbledore. "It seemed plain to the keeper of the Hall of Prophecy that Voldemort could only have tried to kill you because he knew you to be the one to whom Sibyll was referring."

"Then — it might not be me?" said Harry.

"I am afraid, as your sister pointed out," said Dumbledore slowly, looking as though every word cost him a great effort, "that there is no doubt that it is you."

"But you said — Neville was born at the end of July too — and his mum and dad —"

"You are forgetting the next part of the prophecy, the final identifying feature of the boy who could vanquish Voldemort… Voldemort himself would 'mark him as his equal.' And so he did, Harry. He chose you, not Neville. He gave you the scar that has proved both blessing and curse."

"But he might have chosen wrong!" said Harry. "He might have marked the wrong person!"

"He chose the boy he thought most likely to be a danger to him," said Dumbledore. "And notice this, Harry. He chose, not the pureblood (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing), but the half-blood, like himself. He saw himself in you before he had ever seen you, and in marking you with that scar, he did not kill you, as he intended, but gave you powers, and a future, which have fitted you to escape him not once, but four times so far — something that neither your parents, nor Neville's parents, ever achieved. At the same time he also gave you something else he never had,"

"Me." Alicia mumbled and Dumbledore nodded

"Voldemort seemed unaware, or unconcerned, that the Potters had had twins. And by 'marking you as his equal' he marked Alicia as well."

"And where would you be, without me," Alicia said. Though she didn't seem to really be registering what she was even saying, let alone what she was replying to.

"Why did he do it, then?" said Harry, who felt numb and cold. "Why did he try and kill me as a baby? He should have waited to see whether Neville or I looked more dangerous when we were older and tried to kill whoever it was then —"

"That might, indeed, have been the more practical course," said Dumbledore, "except that Voldemort's information about the prophecy was incomplete. The Hog's Head Inn, which Sibyll chose for its cheapness, has long attracted, shall we say, a more interesting clientele than the Three Broomsticks. As you and your friends found out to your cost, and I to mine that night, it is a place where it is never safe to assume you are not being overheard. Of course, I had not dreamed, when I set out to meet Sibyll Trelawney, that I would hear anything worth overhearing. My — our — one stroke of good fortune was that the eavesdropper was detected only a short way into the prophecy and thrown from the building."

"So he only heard…?"

"He heard only the first part, the part foretelling the birth of a boy in July to parents who had thrice defied Voldemort. Consequently, he could not warn his master that to attack you would be to risk transferring power to you — again marking you as his equal. So Voldemort never knew that there might be danger in attacking you, that it might be wise to wait or to learn more. He did not know that you would have 'power the Dark Lord knows not' —"

"I don't know if I'd count that fortunate. Considering what ended up happening with our parents and Neville's…" Alicia mumbled "I'd have thought it more fortunate if he'd heard it all as well as you." she sighed though, because even as she said this, she knew it was the more selfish thought. "Even though he wouldn't have been vanquished for almost fourteen years." she mumbled.

"But I don't!" said Harry in a strangled voice. "I haven't any powers he hasn't got, I couldn't fight the way he did tonight, I can't possess people or — or kill them —"

"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," interrupted Dumbledore, "that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the many subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power took you to save Sirius tonight. That power also saved you from possession by Voldemort, because he could not bear to reside in a body so full of the force he detests. In the end, it mattered not that you could not close your mind. It was your heart that saved you."

"Love." Alicia mumbled and Dumbledore nodded.

"Alicia, you brought that out in him. Your connection to Harry, is such a strong bond, holds such emotions, that Harry was able to push Voldemort out, something no witch or wizard as been able to do before."

Alicia chuckled once. "How do you put love into a room?" she couldn't help but ask.

"The end of the prophecy… it was something about… ' _neither can live_ …' "

" '… _while the other survives_ ,' " said Dumbledore.

Alicia closed her eyes and she turned around, took a few steps and sat herself on the floor, pulling her hands to her face.

"So," said Harry, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, "so does that mean that… that one of us has got to kill the other one… in the end?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore.

She felt the tears on her hands. She had just lost one of the two family members she had left, only to discover that it was inevitable that she may loose the last. Harry could win and defeat Voldemort, but he could also loose, and Alicia…

Was she bound to be alone in this world? Was that her torture, that she would, forever, be loosing the people she cared about?

She felt a hand on her head and looked up through her tears to see Dumbledore. He wasn't smiling at her, in fact she could see that his eyes were glassy as though with tears themselves.

"Despite the two of you going through everything together, I am sorry for you Alicia." he said "And I am sorry for many reasons. You told me, a few times, about the power of information, and you warned he something worse could happen, but I did not listen. Despite knowing how brilliantly your mind works and collects information, I did not heed the warning you gave me to protect your family."

"And now," she sobbed "You tell me, that it's inevitable… that I could loose those I have left, right after having lost one already, and may forever be alone." the tears poured over her eyes lids and down her cheeks and she scrunched up her eyes crying. Dumbledore actually pulled her into a hug as she cried.

"I feel I owe you both another explanation, Harry, Alicia," said Dumbledore hesitantly. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you both as prefects? I must confess… that I rather thought… you had enough responsibility to be going on with."

Alicia paused as she felt something drop onto her hair and she looked up to see the man himself was crying.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69:

 _HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED RETURNS_

 _In a brief statement Friday night, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge confirmed that He-Who-Must- Not-Be Named has returned to this country and is active once more._

 _"It is with great regret that I must confirm that the wizard styling himself Lord — well, you know who I mean — is alive and among us again," said Fudge, looking tired and flustered as he addressed reporters. "It is with almost equal regret that we report the mass revolt of the dementors of Azkaban, who have shown themselves averse to continuing in the Ministry's employ. We believe that the dementors are currently taking direction from Lord — Thingy._

 _"We urge the magical population to remain vigilant. The Ministry is currently publishing guides to elementary home and personal defence that will be delivered free to all Wizarding homes within the coming month."_

 _The Minister's statement was met with dismay and alarm from the Wizarding community, which as recently as last Wednesday was receiving Ministry assurances that there was "no truth whatsoever in these persistent rumours that You-Know-Who is operating amongst us once more."_

 _Details of the events that led to the Ministry turnaround are still hazy, though it is believed that He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and a select band of followers (known as Death Eaters) gained entry to the Ministry of Magic itself on Thursday evening._

 _Albus Dumbledore, newly reinstated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, reinstated member of the International Confederation of Wizards, and reinstated Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, was unavailable for comment last night. He has insisted for a year that You-Know-Who was not dead, as was widely hoped and believed, but recruiting followers once more for a fresh attempt to seize power. Meanwhile the Boy Who Lived —_

"There you are, Harry, I knew they'd drag you into it somehow," said Hermione, looking over the top of the paper at him.

They were in the hospital wing. Harry was sitting on the end of Ron's bed and they were both listening to Hermione read the front page of the Sunday Prophet. Ginny, whose ankle had been mended in a trice by Madam Pomfrey, was curled up at the foot of Hermione's bed with Alicia; Neville, whose nose had likewise been returned to its normal size and shape (as Alicia's job had not been perfect), was in a chair between the two beds; and Luna, who had dropped in to visit clutching the latest edition of _The Quibble_ r, was reading the magazine upside down and apparently not taking in a word Hermione was saying.

"He's 'the Boy Who Lived' again now, though, isn't he?" said Ron darkly. "Not such a show-off maniac anymore, eh?"

He helped himself to a handful of Chocolate Frogs from the immense pile on his bedside cabinet, threw a few to Harry, Alicia, Ginny, and Neville, and ripped off the wrapper of his own with his teeth. There were still deep welts on his forearms where the brain's tentacles had wrapped around him. According to Madam Pomfrey, thoughts could leave deeper scarring than almost anything else, though since she had started applying copious amounts of Dr. Ubbly's Oblivious Untion, there seemed to be some improvement.

"They've mentioned Alicia! _'The thought-to-be lost Potter, Alicia, had previously been attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under her mother's maiden name of 'Evans' but is indeed alive and well and has been with her twin brother Harry through all his ordeals.'_ " Alicia didn't react.

"They'd have to if they're coming clean." she said simply.

"They're very complimentary about you now, Harry, as well," said Hermione, now scanning down the article. " _'Both Potter's lone voice of truth… perceived as unbalanced, yet never wavered in either of their stories… forced to bear ridicule and slander…'_ Hmmm," said Hermione, frowning, "I notice they don't mention the fact that it was them doing all the ridiculing and slandering, though…"

She winced slightly and put a hand to her ribs. The curse Dolohov had used on her, though less effective than it would have been had he been able to say the incantation aloud, had nevertheless caused, in Madam Pomfrey's words, "quite enough damage to be going on with." Hermione was having to take ten different types of potion every day and although she was improving greatly, was already bored with the hospital wing.

" _'You-Know-Who's Last Attempt to Take Over, pages two to four, What the Ministry Should Have Told Us, page five, Why Nobody Listened to Albus Dumbledore, pages six to eight, Exclusive Interview with Harry and Alicia Potter, page nine…'_ Well," said Hermione, folding up the newspaper and throwing it aside, "it's certainly given them lots to write about. And that interview with Harry isn't exclusive, it's the one that was in _The Quibbler_ months ago…"

"Daddy sold it to them," said Luna vaguely, turning a page of _The Quibbler_. "He got a very good price for it too, so we're going to go on an expedition to Sweden this summer and see if we can catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Hermione seemed to struggle with herself for a moment, then said, "That sounds lovely."

Ginny caught Harry's eye and looked away quickly, grinning.

"So anyway," said Hermione, sitting up a little straighter and wincing again, "what's going on in school?"

"Well, Flitwick's got rid of Fred and George's swamp," said Ginny. "He did it in about three seconds. But he left a tiny patch under the window and he's roped it off —"

"Why?" said Hermione, looking startled.

"Oh, he just says it was a really good bit of magic," said Ginny, shrugging.

"I think he left it as a monument to Fred and George," said Ron through a mouthful of chocolate. "They sent me all these, you know," he told Harry, pointing at the small mountain of Frogs beside him. "Must be doing all right out of that joke shop, eh? Though it's absolutely nothing to what Fred sent Alicia." Hermione looked at her and she shrugged.

"Apparently he's planning on visiting me at some point." she smiled slightly.

"I think you could use it." Alicia shrugged but didn't elaborate on Hermione's words

"So has all the trouble stopped now Dumbledore's back?"

"Yes," said Neville, "everything's settled right back down again."

"I s'pose Filch is happy, is he?" asked Ron, propping a Chocolate Frog card featuring Dumbledore against his water jug.

"Not at all," said Ginny. "He's really, really miserable, actually…" She lowered her voice to a whisper. "He keeps saying Umbridge was the best thing that ever happened to Hogwarts…"

All seven of them looked around. Professor Umbridge was lying in a bed opposite them, gazing up at the ceiling. Dumbledore had strode alone into the forest to rescue her from the centaurs. How he had done it — how he had emerged from the trees supporting Professor Umbridge without so much as a scratch on him — nobody knew, and Umbridge was certainly not telling. Since she had returned to the castle she had not, as far as any of them knew, uttered a single word. Nobody really knew what was wrong with her either. Her usually neat mousy hair was very untidy and there were bits of twig and leaf in it, but otherwise she seemed to be quite unscathed.

"Madam Pomfrey says she's just in shock," whispered Hermione.

"Sulking, more like," said Ginny

"Yeah, she shows signs of life if you do this," said Ron, and with his tongue he made soft clip-clopping noises. Umbridge sat bolt upright, looking wildly around.

"Anything wrong, Professor?" called Madam Pomfrey, poking her head around her office door.

"No… no…" said Umbridge, sinking back into her pillows, "no, I must have been dreaming…"

Hermione and Ginny muffled their laughter in the bedclothes.

"Speaking of centaurs," said Hermione, when she had recovered a little, "who's Divination teacher now? Is Firenze staying?"

"He's got to," said Harry, "the other centaurs won't take him back, will they?"

"It looks like he and Trelawney are both going to teach," said Ginny.

"Bet Dumbledore wishes he could've got rid of Trelawney for good," said Ron, now munching on his fourteenth Frog. "Mind you, the whole subjects useless if you ask me, Firenze isn't a lot better…"

"How can you say that?" Hermione demanded. "After we've just found out that there are real prophecies?"

Alicia and Harry's eyes met instantly as Alicia felt Harry worry. Neither of them had told Hermione, Ron or anyone else what the prophecy had contained. Neville had told them it had smashed while Harry was pulling him up the steps in the Death Room, and neither twin had not yet corrected this impression.

They continued to stare before in sync they both got up from their places.

"It is a pity it broke," said Hermione quietly, shaking her head.

"Yeah, it is," said Ron. "Still, at least You-Know-Who never found out what was in it either — where are you going?" he added, looking both surprised and disappointed at the twins.

"Er — Hagrid's," said Harry and Alicia just watched him. "You know, he just got back and I promised we'd go down and see him and tell him how you two are…"

"Oh all right then," said Ron grumpily, looking out of the dormitory window at the patch of bright blue sky beyond. "Wish we could come…"

"Give it time." Alicia added

"Say hello to him for us!" called Hermione, as Harry proceeded down the ward, Alicia following. "And ask him what's happening about… about his little friend!" Harry waved in response as they left.

The castle seemed very quiet even for a Sunday. Everybody was clearly out in the sunny grounds, enjoying the end of their exams and the prospect of a last few days of term unhampered by studying or homework. Harry walked slowly along the deserted corridor, peering out of windows as he went. He could see people messing around in the air over the Quidditch pitch and a couple of students swimming in the lake, accompanied by the giant squid.

Alicia was staring at the floor, watching her feet as they walked. She didn't pay attention but knew they were heading towards the grounds, down the Marble Staircase, to the Entrance Hall. They had just descended the last marble step into the entrance hall when Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle emerged from a door on the right that led down to the Slytherin common room. Harry stopped dead; so did Malfoy and the others. Alicia watched him, waiting.

For a few moments, the only sounds were the shouts, laughter, and splashes drifting into the hall from the grounds through the open front doors.

Malfoy glanced around. Harry knew he was checking for signs of teachers. Then he looked back at Harry and said in a low voice, "You're dead, Potter."

Harry raised his eyebrows.

"Funny," he said looking at Alicia, "you'd think I'd have stopped walking around…"

"Gonna say, don't feel like it." she shrugged

Malfoy looked angrier than either had ever seen him, his pale, pointed face contorted with rage.

"You're going to pay," said Malfoy in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "I'm going to make you pay for what you've done to my father…"

"Well, I'm terrified now," said Harry sarcastically. "I s'pose Lord Voldemort's just a warm-up act compared to you three — what's the matter?" he said, for Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had all looked stricken at the sound of the name. "He's your dad's mate, isn't he? Not scared of him, are you?"

"You think you're such a big man, Potter," said Malfoy, advancing now, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. "You wait. I'll have you. You can't land my father in prison —"

"I thought I just had," said Harry.

"He's in there isn't he?" Alicia asked lazily.

"The dementors have left Azkaban," said Malfoy quietly. "Dad and the others'll be out in no time…"

"Yeah, I expect they will," said Harry. "Still, at least everyone knows what scumbags they are now —"

Malfoy's hand flew toward his wand, but Harry was too quick for him. He had drawn his own wand before Malfoy's fingers had even entered the pocket of his robes. Alicia had her hands in her pocket but was more cautious than her brother.

"Potter!"

The voice rang across the entrance hall; Snape had emerged from the staircase leading down to his office, and Alicia felt the great rush of hatred from Harry, something far beyond anything he felt toward Malfoy.

"What are you doing, Potter?" said Snape coldly as ever, as he strode over to the four of them.

"I'm trying to decide what curse to use on Malfoy, sir," said Harry fiercely.

Snape stared at him.

"Put that wand away at once," he said curtly. "Ten points from Gryff —"

Snape looked toward the giant hourglasses on the walls and gave a sneering smile.

"Ah. I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to —"

"Add some more?"

Professor McGonagall had just stumped up the stone steps into the castle. She was carrying a tartan carpetbag in one hand and leaning heavily on a walking stick with her other, but otherwise looked quite well.

"Professor McGonagall!" said Snape, striding forward. "Out of St. Mungo's, I see!"

"Yes, Professor Snape," said Professor McGonagall, shrugging off her traveling cloak, "I'm quite as good as new. You two — Crabbe — Goyle —"

She beckoned them forward imperiously and they came, shuffling their large feet and looking awkward.

"Here," said Professor McGonagall, thrusting her carpetbag into Crabbe's chest and her cloak into Goyle's, "take these up to my office for me."

They turned and stumped away up the marble staircase.

"Right then," said Professor McGonagall, looking up at the hourglasses on the wall, "well, I think the Potters and their friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"

"What?" snapped Snape. "Oh — well — I suppose…"

"So that's fifty each for two Potters, the two Weasleys, Longbottom, and Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, and a shower of rubies fell down into the bottom bulb of Gryffindor's hourglass as she spoke. "Oh — and fifty for Miss Lovegood, I suppose," she added, and a number of sapphires fell into Ravenclaw's glass. "Now, you wanted to take ten from Mr. Potter, I think, Professor Snape — so there we are…"

A few rubies retreated into the upper bulb, leaving a respectable amount below nevertheless.

"Well, Potter, Malfoy, I think you ought to be outside on a glorious day like this," Professor McGonagall continued briskly.

Alicia took Harry's hand and the two went without needing to be told twice. They went outside and began to cross the lawns in the hot sun towards Hagrid's cabin. Students lying around on the grass sunbathing, talking, reading the _Sunday Prophet_ , and eating sweets looked up at them as they passed. Some called out to the two, or else waved, clearly eager to show that they, like the Prophet, had decided the two Potters was something of heroes. Alicia waved back at a few, putting a small smile in place while Harry did nothing. So far, the two had not been questioned or asked what had happened three days ago, and Alicia at least preferred it that way.

There was no answer when they both first knocked on Hagrid's door. The two shared a look before Fang came charging around the corner and almost bowled Harry over with the enthusiasm of his welcome. Hagrid, it transpired, was picking runner beans in his back garden.

"All righ', Harry! Alicia!" he said, beaming, when Harry and Alicia approached the fence. "Come in, come in, we'll have a cup o' dandelion juice…"

"How's things?" Hagrid asked them, as they settled down at his wooden table with a glass apiece of iced juice. "You — er — feelin' all righ', are yeh?"

Alicia looked at her glass and Harry watched the giant.

"I'm fine," Harry said quickly. He didn't want to talk about it. Even the twins hadn't to one another. "So, where've you been?"

"Bin hidin' out in the mountains," said Hagrid. "Up in a cave, like Sirius did when he —"

He broke off, cleared his through gruffly, looked at the twins and took a long draft of juice.

"Anyway, back now," he said feebly.

"You — you look better," said Harry, who was determined to keep the conversation moving away from Sirius.

"Wha?" said Hagrid, raising a massive hand and feeling his face. "Oh — oh yeah. Well, Grawpy's loads better behaved now, loads. Seemed right pleased ter see me when I got back, ter tell yeh the truth. He's a good lad, really… I've bin thinkin' abou' tryin' ter find him a lady friend, actually…"

Alicia rose one eyebrow at the man. More than one giant around sounded terrible. And yet, she didn't rise to argue, and neither did Harry. There was less energy in a lot of things the twins did lately.

"Ev'ryone knows you've both bin tellin' the truth now, Harry," said Hagrid softly and unexpectedly. "Tha's gotta be better, hasn' it, Alicia?"

Harry shrugged.  
"Look…" Hagrid leaned toward them across the table, "I knew Sirius longer 'n you did… He died in battle, an' tha's the way he'd've wanted ter go —"

"He didn't want to go at all!" said Harry angrily and Alicia swallowed the lump that rose in her throat as she thought about it. It just reminded her of the prophecy and what might happen to Harry. It was too much for her to deal with at once at the current moment.

Hagrid bowed his great shaggy head.

"Nah, I don' reckon he did," he said quietly. "But still, Harry… he was never one ter sit around at home an' let other people do the fightin'. He couldn' have lived with himself if he hadn' gone ter help —"

Harry leapt up again.

"I've got to go and visit Ron and Hermione in the hospital wing," he said mechanically.

"Oh," said Hagrid, looking rather upset. "Oh… all righ then, Harry… Take care of yerself then, an' drop back in if yeh've got a mo…"

"Yeah… right…"

Harry crossed to the door as fast as he could and pulled it open. He was out in the sunshine again before Hagrid had finished saying goodbye.

Hagrid looked at Alicia.

"We'd prefer not to talk about it yet." she whispered and she finished her juice. "Sorry Hagrid." she got up and, much more calmly, she smiled at him a small smile, and followed Harry.

Alicia had wondered whether Sirius had known about the prophecy's contents. He knew about it obviously, whether he knew what it was was another matter. She knew he'd have been angry with Dumbledore and perhaps he'd agree that Harry at least needed to know.

She had to admit, it surprised her when she thought about the fact that Harry and her had only asked the important question once; why had Voldemort wanted Harry? Maybe if they'd asked it more, Dumbledore would have told them sooner, maybe he'd had listened to her… Maybe none of this would have happened.

Alicia had to admit she'd never felt more alone in the world. Even through this entire year, while in Surrey, while locked in Grimmauld Place, or even at Hogwarts, where Harry had snapped at so many, and felt cut off, she had not. She knew she had people around her she could rely on, that could help. But she'd never ever felt so alone before now. And she now understood how Harry must have felt when she'd left in the summer. And although it hurt to feel it, although it was terrible, and she hated it, she embraced it. Because it seemed that Harry's fait was laid out, and it was inevitable that his life was to include, or conclude with, murder. And that, in turn, could lead to Alicia always feeling this way, no matter how accepted she was by others.

It all seemed inevitable. And if there was another way, Dumbledore would have known about it. And he himself had cried over it.

One thing he had mentioned through, was because of all of this strife and burden, it was why the two twins weren't Prefects. Such a thing seemed meaningless now, so pointless but so normal. It was such a luxury all of a sudden, because those who had it, didn't have much more than that to worry about, Hermione and Ron included. All they needed to worry about was the results of their exams, Harry might not even be able to act on those results…

Alicia found herself at the Room of Requirement, though the door was not there. She simply leaned on the wall and slid to sit on the floor, staring at the tapestry opposite.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70:

Ron and Hermione left the hospital wing completely cured three days before the end of term. Hermione showed signs of wanting to talk about Sirius, but Ron tended to make hushing noises every time she mentioned his name. Alicia was grateful for this, she still needed a little time to process everything, it seemed her mind had somehow gone numb for a bit. Not only that, but they were once again leaving Hogwarts. Alicia didn't know if this made her feel either. She knew she had to obviously, and Harry too, but whether it would help… They'd be away from everything for a bit, and maybe that would be good for her to process through everything and find out what it was she needed to do now, but also, was the isolation a good thing as well?

Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed that she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinner-time, evidently hoping to depart undetected, but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed and chased her gleefully from the premises, whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. Many students ran out into the entrance hall to watch her running away down the path, and the Heads of Houses tried only halfheartedly to restrain their pupils. Indeed, Professor McGonagall sank back into her chair at the staff table after a few feeble remonstrances and was clearly heard to express a regret that she could not run cheering after Umbridge herself, because Peeves had borrowed her walking stick.

Their last evening at school arrived; most people had finished packing and were already heading down to the end-of-term feast, Alicia sat before her trunk, looking at it and all her stuff.

Hermione kneeled beside her.

"Don't ask me." Alicia whispered as the girl placed a hand on her shoulder. Hermione paused.

"You can do it tomorrow." she offered, changing her mind on what to say.

"It's alright, Dumbledore always speaks to the school at the end of the year," Alicia whispered as she picked up one of her many books. "I'd rather not hear what he has to say." she admitted "You go without me, I'm going to do this." Hermione watched her sadly before she got up and left, listening to the girl's wishes.

Alicia went through her things, placing them in the trunk slowly. There were her robes, her books, her cauldron, telescope, so many objects in which she'd had since her first trip to Diagon Alley on her and Harry's eleventh birthday. It was so long ago, even if it was only five years now. Alicia found it strange how much had happened, and how much had changed in such a time.

She picked up some of her thicker winter robes and from it dropped the very familiar thick old folded parchment. The girl picked it up frowning.

Alicia removed her wand from her pocket and touched it to the paper.

" _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_." she whispered. Ink lines spread from the tip of her wand across the parchment before the usual words had sprang forth from it and the very familiar names lit up the top.

This was not just the only thing she had of her father, it was the only thing she had of Sirius now as well.

 _Not true._ Alicia moved to her trunk and moved through its contents until she found the package with her mirrors in it. She'd never even looked at them since she'd first opened it. The only person she could think to give it to, was Harry, and he'd been with her all year.

Alicia put the map down and her wand with it and tipped the parcel upside down. The two mirrors fell out. Unlike the one Sirius gave Harry, which was rather dirty, her's were pristine. She didn't want to touch them with her fingers and leave marks.

Both mirrors were identical and Alicia had to remember to give one to Harry, but she wouldn't do it now and she put them back in the package. No Harry had one that reminded him of Sirius, he didn't need another doing the same, not yet.

She turned back to the map and opened it, looking at all the dots in the Great Hall. And then she noticed Harry was outside the Gryffindor porthole. Alicia couldn't fathom why he was there, she doubted very much he'd want to go to the feast. He wasn't alone either, he was with Luna.

" _Mischief Managed_." she tapped the paper, which was erased, and stored it in her trunk before moving from the dormitory and down the stairs. Harry entered the common room almost as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

He paused when he saw her and he smiled ever so slightly. Alicia was surprised and he moved forwards to hug her.

"You know, I went to find Nick."

"Nick?" she asked as he released her

"The ghost."

"Why?"

"I thought… well I figured… there was a chance, he'd come back." Harry admitted sadly. Alicia sighed.

"No, I doubt Sirius would come back as a ghost. He was first never afraid of death…" Harry looked at her when she paused. "What happens to a ghost when those they love, have moved on themselves?" she asked him

"I dunno? Nothing?" he asked

"Harry, if Sirius came back a ghost, would you be happy that he'd be left here, by himself and stuck to this world when we were gone, years from now?" she asked him. Harry watched her as she looked down.

"To be honest, even if it'd make me happy now, in the long run, it's be wrong to wish for such a thing. He'd be stuck here, for years and years. He'd be so alone." Harry turned his gaze away.

"I met Luna outside." he said "She said something… interesting." she looked at him waiting.

"She lost her mother, that's why she can see the Thestrals." Alicia frowned. "But she feels she'll see her again."

"Well, no one knows what happens when you die…" Alicia mumbled "Like I said, like Dumbledore once said, it's like another adventure. Although no one knows if you really go to the same place your loved ones did." she thought

"But we heard those voices," Harry reminded her "Those that had past were beyond that archway, I think they are together."

Alicia smiled and her eyes welled up slightly before she blinked them away.

"Then Sirius, will be with mum and dad." Harry looked at her surprised as a tear let slip and she wiped it away immediately "God, I've been doing that much too often. I feel like such a girl."

"I never thought about it like that." Harry mumbled and Alicia nodded.

"Bet the first thing Sirius does, is apologise for getting them to use Peter as their Secret keeper." she said chuckling slightly "And then, he'll tell them all about us and what we've become." Harry nodded, smiling slightly at the idea as well. "God I hope he tells dad about how we saw him torture Snape, and how disappointed we were. Wouldn't it have been interesting to scold him myself." Harry laughed and Alicia couldn't help it, doing the same.

"We'll get the chance." he said and Alicia nodded. She then frowned and lowered her gaze.

"Hopefully, not for many, many years." she said and Harry nodded before he hugged her again.

"Alicia, I'm not going to leave you here." he mumbled as she hugged him back.

"As much as I appreciate it, you can't really make that promise. But, I am going to do my best to make that hope a reality."

"Well, like you said, what would I do without you?" he wondered and she chuckled

"Let's be honest, what would I do without you, it's not like I'd be in any less trouble with my temper." he laughed at her and she couldn't help to the same.

"Are we going to be alright?" she asked when they stopped.

"Well, we still have each other." he promised and she nodded, trying not to think about whether that would last or not.

"You know, you seem to be the one with the curse, and yet I end up being the one with the most frightening future." she mumbled

"I thought… I'd have the most frightening…" Harry mumbled, and she could feel his fear.

"I believe what Dumbledore said, death isn't the worst there is… and after what we've just gone through… that's got to be so much worse than feeling death…" Alicia mumbled "So although it's frightening yes, my outcome, unless I go down with you of course, scares me more."

"I'd much rather if you didn't…"

"You don't think I feel the same." Alicia looked at him "Harry, I'll admit, I'd gladly take a curse if it was to protect you."

"Yeah, I'd do the same." he agreed. Alicia took a deep breath and Harry looked at her as she straightened up, releasing him, determined now and not seeming so fragile all of a sudden.

"And it's that that'll help us win." she decided "Because you have a power stronger than Voldemort can even dream of." she grinned "And me." he chuckled and he nodded.

"Now, have you packed, cause I haven't." Alicia mumbled and he shook his head

"Want some help?" he paused and looked at the girls staircase. "If I can even get up the stairs."

"I'll levitate you up." Alicia decided and they grinned "Let's do yours first just in case." and they headed up the boys staircase and into the dormitory. Harry's trunk was open and a mess. Alicia looked at it annoyed.

Together they began to pull out the things he'd chucked in before Alicia stopped. Glass covered the bottom of the trunk. No, not glass, mirror shards. She frowned as she picked one up and Harry watched her.

Alicia knew it was Sirius' mirror, and it saddened her deeply to think Harry had destroyed the last thing he had of his Godfather. But she also couldn't blame him, she felt his grief and she sighed before she simply folded some robes and put them on top of the mess. She refused to clean it up, and she felt that it was useless to try and repair a broken, magical, mirror.

Harry said nothing and they continued in silence together.

* * *

Hermione, Alicia, Ginny, Neville, Ron and Harry found a compartment together on the Hogwarts Express home. Neville had his _Mimbulus mimbletonia_ which had grown a great deal over the year, and now made odd crooning noises when touched. Hermione had her morning addition of the Daily Prophet, Alicia had a book in her hands and Ginny started with a quiz in The Quibbler.

Turned out Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle attempted to ambush Harry on the train as he made his way back from the bathroom but had tried in front of Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot. Apparently the three turned out to look like slugs in uniforms when the six of them had finished using spells taught to them by the Potter twins. Many had heard the commotion along the train and Ron had gotten up to investigate, Hermione had prodded him to do so by reminding him he was a prefect.

The trolly had arrived just as he'd left and the group bought a load of Cauldron cakes and pumpkin pasties which they spent the trip home eating.

Harry and Ron whiled away most of the journey playing wizard chess while Hermione read out snippets from the Prophet. It was now full of articles about how to repel dementors, attempts by the Ministry to track down Death Eaters, and hysterical letters claiming that the writer had seen Lord Voldemort walking past their house that very morning…

"It hasn't really started yet," sighed Hermione gloomily, folding up the newspaper again. "But it won't be long now…"

"Hey, Harry," said Ron, nodding toward the glass window onto the corridor.

Harry looked around. Cho was passing, accompanied by Marietta Edgecombe, who was wearing a balaclava. His and Cho's eyes met for a moment. Cho blushed and kept walking. Harry looked back down at the chessboard just in time to see one of his pawns chased off its square by Ron's knight.

"What's — er — going on with you and her anyway?" Ron asked quietly.

"Nothing," said Harry truthfully.

"I — er — heard she's going out with someone else now," said Hermione tentatively.

Alicia waited to see if Harry felt any jealously, but there was no reaction from the boy besides a little surprise. The girl could tell it was due to his lack of response to the news.

"You're well out of it, mate," said Ron forcefully. "I mean, she's quite good-looking and all that, but you want someone a bit more cheerful."

"I said so months ago. Don't need a cry baby." Alicia mumbled and Harry looked at her pointedly, reminding her how much she'd cried the last few weeks.

"Shut up." she snapped and he smirked slightly before turning back to the game.

"She's probably cheerful enough with someone else," said Harry, shrugging.

"Who's she with now anyway?" Ron asked Hermione, but it was Ginny who answered.

"Michael Corner," she said.

"Michael — but —" said Ron, craning around in his seat to stare at her. "But you were going out with him!"

"Not anymore," said Ginny resolutely. "He didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got really sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead. He even brought your treatment of Anthony into it Alicia. Said you were unfair to him." She scratched her nose absently with the end of her quill, turned _The Quibbler_ upside down, and began marking her answers.

"Can't dump someone I wasn't dating." Alicia shrugged "He had a year to ask me and waiting too long had it's consequences." Ron looked highly delighted at the news of Ginny being single.

"Well, I always thought he was a bit of an idiot," he said, prodding his queen forward toward Harry's quivering castle. "Good for you. Just choose someone — better — next time."

He cast Harry an oddly furtive look as he said it.

"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" asked Ginny vaguely.

"WHAT?" shouted Ron, upending the chessboard. Crookshanks went plunging after the pieces and Hedwig, Noel and Pigwidgeon twittered and hooted angrily from overhead.

"Ron, no need to over react." Alicia sighed

"Over react?" Ron asked

"Well you don't see Harry getting angry at the idea of me dating people do you?" Ron looked at Harry as if trying to get some support but he shrugged.

"To be honest Alicia's probably more capable of dealing with it than me." Harry confessed

"Let's be honest Ginny's the same." Alicia said, causing the girls to all giggled and Ron to look annoyed as Harry and Neville smirked slightly.

The train began to slow in it's approach to King's Cross and Alicia could feel Harry's dread. She felt what he did and sighed.

"Harry, you can't stay here till September." she said and everyone looked at him. "First off, you've got no food here." she said and Harry huffed as the train pulled to a standstill.

The boy gave up and lifted Hedwig's cage and prepared his trunk with the others to lug it from the train like usual.

"Not like there's anything waiting." he mumbled

"Well I feel you there."

When the ticket inspector signalled to Harry, Alicia, Ron, and Hermione that it was safe to walk through the magical barrier between platforms nine and ten, however, they found a surprise awaiting them on the other side: a group of people standing there to greet the two whom neither had expected at all.

There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without it, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous traveling cloak. Tonks stood just behind him, her bright bubble-gum-pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend the weird sisters. Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair greying, a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers. At the front of the group stood Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, dressed in their Muggle best, and Fred and George, who were both wearing brand-new jackets in some lurid green, scaly material.

"Ron, Ginny!" called Mrs. Weasley, hurrying forward and hugging her children tightly. "Oh, and Harry, Alicia dear — how are you?"

Alicia, didn't answer Mrs Weasley, but moved forwards and right to Fred who pulled her into a very large and warming hug. She sighed with content, like it was exactly what she needed.

"How are you?" he asked as he brushed her hair and George looked at her concerned.

"I'd rather not talk about it yet." she mumbled. The twins looked at her before George joined in hugging her as well.

"We should have been there." George said

"No, you have a business to run and most importantly, I didn't need to add you to the trouble. I wouldn't be able to face Mrs Weasley if something had happened." she admitted and she watched the women worried as she was embracing Harry. Ron was staring at his twin brother's, goggling.

"What are _they_ supposed to be?" he asked, pointing at the jackets.

"Finest dragon skin, little bro," said Fred, giving his zip a little tweak. "Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves." he turned to Alicia "Not just us of course." he grinned at her

"What ever it is, it can wait till my birthday." Alicia decided as she turned to look at everyone else who had joined them.

"Hello, Harry," said Lupin, as Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry and turned to greet Hermione.

"Hi," said Harry. "I didn't expect… what are you all doing here?"

"We weren't expecting a parade." Alicia agreed as she smiled at Fred.

"Well," said Lupin with a slight smile, "we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home."

The Potter twins shared a look.

"I dunno if that's a good idea," said Harry at once.

"Oh, I think it is," growled Moody, who had limped a little closer. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?"

He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat. Harry leaned an inch or so to the left to see where Mad-Eye was pointing and Alicia peered around Fred. Sure enough, there were the three Dursleys, who looked positively appalled to see Harry's reception committee.

"Ah, Harry! Good to see you Alicia." said Mr. Weasley, turning from Hermione's parents, whom he had been greeting enthusiastically, and who were taking it in turns to hug Hermione. "Well — shall we do it, then?"

"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," said Moody.

He and Mr. Weasley took the lead across the station toward the place where the Dursleys stood, apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione disengaged herself gently from her mother to join the group.

"This'll be interesting." Alicia said and Fred and George looked amused as Harry nodded.

"Good afternoon," said Mr. Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt right in front of him. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley."

As Mr. Weasley had singlehandedly demolished most of the Dursleys' living room two years previously, it would have been very surprising if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr. Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed. She kept glancing around, as though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry," said Mr. Weasley, still smiling.

"Yeah," growled Moody. "About how he, and even Alicia, are treated when they're at your place." Alicia looked surprised.

Uncle Vernon's moustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken impression that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, he addressed himself to Moody.

"I am not aware that it is any of your business what goes on in my house —"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley," growled Moody.

"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, whose pink hair seemed to offend Aunt Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry —"

"— and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," added Lupin pleasantly.

"Yes," said Mr. Weasley, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone —"

" _Telephone_ ," whispered Hermione.

"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.

Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh even his fear of this bunch of oddballs.

"Are you threatening me, sir?" he said, so loudly that passersby actually turned to stare.

"Yes, I am," said Mad-Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon.

"Well…" said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley."

He turned from Uncle Vernon to Harry and Alicia. "So, Potter… give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along…"

Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbours would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path.

" 'Bye, then, Potter, Potter," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand and then patting Alicia's. She smiled at him.

"Take care, Harry, Alicia," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch."

"Harry, we'll have you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again and then turning to hug Alicia.

"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand.

"Really soon, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "We promise."

"Sooner then we can anticipate I hope." Alicia smiled and they nodded.

It was strange, seeing all these people here to help them, coming to see them and doing what they could to make little things better.

Fred pulled Alicia into a hug again and George stroked the top of her hair before the twin released her and kissed the back of her hand. She smiled and kissed him properly.

"Come visit?" he asked

"I'll do my best." she promised nodding. "Feel free to find me though, too." he grinned and Alicia gave George a proper hug.

Alicia and Harry shared a smile and they both raised a hand in farewell as the group turned to walk away from them both.

"What was that all about?" Alicia turned to find Ms Bane behind her. But what surprised her was that Alex and Portia were there too.

"Alex! Portia!" she beamed and pulled them both into a hug.

"Who's the guy?" Alex demanded watching him go. Fred must've heard for he turned and saluted to the two, causing Alicia to chuckle.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked

"Well, Ms Bane sorta found out what we knew…" Portia sighed

"And after a lot of scolding she decided to let us come to collect you." Alex grinned. Alicia beamed and hugged them both again.

"Thanks." she grinned

"Well come on then." Ms Bane said, almost impatiently. Alicia nodded and she turned to hug Harry.

"See you tomorrow." she said and he nodded.

Harry turned around, and led the way out of the station toward the sunlit street, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley hurrying along in his wake.

Alicia smiled at her caretaker, Alex took her owl's cage and Portia helped her lug her trunk before they followed suit after them.

* * *

 **70 Chapters! How extensive is that! Took me all afternoon and evening to upload them because Fanfiction stuffed up the formatting so I had to add all the Italics in again!**

 **Anyway I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! And I'll put up when I finish the next one. No promises on when that'll be though. I haven't even thought to start yet so we'll see.**


	71. Author's Note

**Hello Everyone!**

 **It's been a while, I know, and I'm sorry.**

 **But! On good News, I have finished the sixth book of the Unbreakable Bond Series! One more to go after this!**

 **All 57 chapters have been uploaded and done ready to be read by my lovely readers!**

 **I hope you enjoy them!**

 **I don't really like the summary on it, but I wrote it like four times and just couldn't think of the best way to write it, so for now it'll stay as it is.**

 **Enjoy!**


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